Neo:Natures Neo:Natures Abigail Whitelow University of Greenwich by Abigail Whitelow Neo:Natures Abigail Whitelow University of Greenwich Contents Contents 3 Research Methodology 4 Introduction 6 1. Neo:Natures of Art Nouveau 11 1.1 Origins 12 1.2 Technologies 18 1.3 Discoveries in Biology 22 1.4 Eugene Viollet le Duc 26 1.5 Hector Guimard: Paris 30 1.6 Vienna Secessionist 34 Conclusion: Key Virtues and Analyse of Art Nouveau 38 2. Neo:Natures of Digital Nouveau 39 2.1 Origins 40 2.2 Technologies 44 2.3 Discoveries in Biology 48 2.4 Greg Lynn 52 2.5 Henan Diaz Alonso 56 2.6 Mark Foster Gage 62 Conclusion 66 Appendix 70 Bibliography 71 7 Research Methodology Research Methodology Research for this thesis was conducted in a number of methods: Literature Survey Documentaries This involved collecting existing information and theories around the existing There was an important series of documentaries about the Sex and field, to do this I used the RIBA Library and Greenwich University Library, Sensibility: The Allure of Art Nouveau, it gave many insights to the online databases such Wiley, Ethos, Jstor, Journals and Magazines, Internet social/ political issues at the time of Art Nouveau and showed a range of searches, through social media and finally through sites such as amazon and different Art Nouveau work. google books. The literature survey was carried out throughout the thesis, as resources kept leading on to new information, so a good overview of the total Case Studies subject area was created. Initially a broad range of different Art Nouveau and Digital Nouveau Image Searches Architects were researched to gain a broad understanding of the ideas, I then choose specific architects on each era to focus on, firstly choosing These were mainly done online using search engines, also using books from Viollet-le-Duc and Greg Lynn, who were both initiators of Art Nouveau libraries, journals also using sites such as Pinterest and Flikr. Image search and Digital Nouveau respectively. Then choose Hector Guimard and were extremely important for this thesis as Hernan Diaz Alonso, both very confident men, who committed to a style Technology Survey and finally the Vienna Secessionists and Mark Gage, who both began As this thesis looked at the aesthesis of nature, but the technologies that with very fluid work, but then moved in different ways. have developed and changed the way that nature has been represented, it is important to do a technical review into the materials and technologies that Reviewing have made the natural aesthetic in architecture possible and how this is developed and speculate on future developments. Research shall be done by The first part of the thesis analysed Art Nouveau to gain an understanding using online sources, up to date technology sources. of the key virtues of the architects and also to understand how and why Art Nouveau happened and also ended. These virtues were then Lectures used to compare the relationship between the 2 eras. This was then used to critically analyse the innovation of the designs and ideas of the Watching online lectures, debates and interviews were another important Neo:Natures of the Digital Nouveau to see if the ideologies of architecture research method. It was important to see how the architects in the Digital design had developed since Art Nouveau. Nouveau described their work, and by watching debates it gave many different viewpoints to a topic, especially the ideas of aesthetics. See Introduction for further Research Methodlogy. 8 9 Introduction Introduction Key Terms Neo:Natures The synthesis of nature and new technologies generating new architecture The advancement of digital technologies at the turn of the 21st century, forms. has brought about the flourishing of Neo:Natures; with fluid, complex and ornamental forms in architectural design, for the purpose of generating new Art Nouveau spatial experiences (see fig 1). At the turn of the 20th century, there were similar types of forms with the Art Nouveau style (see fig 2), but these were related to A style of decorative art, architecture and design from 1890-1910, characterised the industrial revolution and were created using the technologies available in by designers moving away from past styles, embracing modern technologies this period. Through both these periods, developments in biology have also and ornamental designs; flowing curvilinear lines, natural forms, geometrical impacted the architects understanding of nature and has generated an interest details. of how they could be applied to architecture. The relationship between new technologies, discoveries in biology and fluid forms, has created a new image Digital Nouveau of nature in architecture which is apparent in both eras, displaying a possible connection that will be explored throughout this thesis. The concept ‘Digital Nouveau’ (Goldemberg 2012), will refer (for this thesis) as an extension of Art Nouveau using digital technologies where the architecture The subject of this relationship has been briefly mentioned by architects, such generated in digital environments and contains complex ornamental designs as Winy Maas and Greg Lynn. Maas (1999) described the digital designs of showing flowing curvilinear lines, natural forms, geometrical details, focussing Lynn and other contemporises as ‘Neo-Art Nouveau’, Lynn thought it was an mainly on the work of Greg Lynn, Mark Gage and Hernan Diaz Alonso (even interesting proposal, and mentioned that it was because of two principles that though there are many other architects working in this way). This thesis shall he felt he shared with the Art Nouveau designers; a focus on new technologies investigate if Digital Nouveau is occurring in architecture today. and moving away from ‘classical orders towards an abstract of nature’. (Lynn 1999) This thesis will explore these principles and also investigate further to see if there are any other principles that they share. Even though Lynn thought the idea was interesting, the comment was meant by Maas as a damming condemnation as Art Nouveau can be seen as a negative, elitist style, only interested in aesthetics. (Lynn 1999) The fact that there has been a lack of investigation into Art Nouveau as a precedent to the digital designs in architecture today could be due to this negative image of the style. Eric Goldemberg and Armando Montilla have investigated the two periods in more detail and developed the concept of ‘Digital Nouveau’ which has been defined as ‘a continuum of pulsating geometries that brings together design sensibilities of two different, but intricately connected eras’ (Goldemberg 2012). Their research has brought about a number of interesting ideas such as, highlighting a number of key characteristics the two eras share; ‘Flow and pattern as derived from organic models, deep ornament as pulsating rhythm, exuberant curvilinear geometry, holistic ambience and immersive space, synthesis/integration of art and architecture via technique and finally movement as generative principle for design’ (Goldemberg 2012). The depth of their investigations however lacks substantial referencing; questioning the reliability of their information, and their focus is mainly on the aesthetical ‘ornamental and rhythmic’ connections between the two eras. Therefore this thesis will endeavour to build upon the ideas mentioned, and look into the Fig 1- Hernan Diaz Alonso Fig 2- Hector Guimard, Castel Beranger 10 11 Introduction Introduction areas in more depth, also include ideas of how discoveries in biology and new see how they impacted the Art Nouveau technology has impacted the designers. architects. Section 5: Hector Guimard: Hector Guimard was the advocate Paris Metro This thesis will explore the relationship between architecture, biology and of Art Nouveau in Paris, technology to see how and why nature has been represented through new This section will explore his key principles technologies in architecture at the turn of both the 20th and 21st century, and explore how these were developed also analysing the social, economic and political changes at these times, through his design of the Paris Metro. to see if these impacted the designs. The aim of this thesis is to acquire an Section 6: Vienna Secession This section will once again analyse the understanding of the representation of nature through new technologies from key principles of the Vienna Secessionists, Art Nouveau to Digital Nouveau with the intention of speculating future and explore how their designs differed from Neo:Natures in the authors design project. Hector Guimard and how they developed away from the fluid, curvilinear ornamentation. Many people have commented how new and innovative the architecture designs and concepts of the ‘Digital Age’ are ‘…the concept of non-standard, Neo:Natures of Digital Nouveau non-normative, non-repetitive design had become a major theoretical focus of this new phenomenon recognized today as digital design’ (Oxman 2005) Section 1: Origins Introduction to Digital Nouveau; gaining and with books also called ‘New forms of the Digital Age’ (Zeller 1999). By an understanding of what Digital Nouveau comparing Digital Nouveau to Art Nouveau, the newness of the digital designs is, why it started and the changes taking and concepts will be questioned, and speculation shall take place to question place at the time that influenced the designers. if more could be done with digital technologies. Section 2: Technologies Focussing on the key technologies that influenced the Digital Nouveau designers This thesis will be divided into two main studies, Neo:Natures of Art Nouveau, and how they impacted the designs. that will analyse the key virtues and the context that surrounded this period; Section 3: Discoveries in Focussing on the key discoveries in biology and Neo:Natures of Digital Nouveau, that will also analyse the key virtues and Biology that influenced the Digital Nouveau context, but also compare these back to the Art Nouveau period to evaluate the designers and how they impacted the relationship and question the newness of the Digital Nouveau concepts.