University of Kentucky
Studies in Architecture: Study 2: Living in the Past: The Effects of Found Materials in Architecture
Institution
University of Kentucky
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Sarah McNabb; Megan Shaw; Anthony Roccanova
Abstract
In architecture, there is a satisfying quality to the use of found materials — those salvaged or recycled rather than bought new. Is it the satisfaction of saving the world one landfill at a time? Or is there some spiritual quality behind materials of the past being created into something of the present? As environmental concerns awaken a need to “go green,” architecture and other forms of art are recreating themselves to please a concerned people and save a dying planet. However, there is a moment when the work becomes less about ecology and more aesthetic and comfort based. The work of Dan Phillips, who constructs low-income housing from donated “scraps,” demonstrates this. His success derives from charity as well as the beauty of his constructions. To laymen, artists seem to transform the mundane into extraordinary. Kentucky artist Paul Busse creates miniature wonderlands out of objects he finds in nature. At the start of each artist’s process, a spark of inspiration ignites the creation of work. The theory is that this spark is sometimes a result of chance occurrence. Chance occurrence questions the ability of the artist to identify the perfect piece of inspiration and says that the ideal materials are often the products of coincidence. This project explored the use of found materials in architecture and analyzed the materials’ physical and spiritual properties. It contains an investigation of ideas that are formed in the individual phenomena of the human consciousness. Self-exploration was coupled with research on artists and architects.
Studies in Architecture: Study 2: Living in the Past: The Effects of Found Materials in Architecture
In architecture, there is a satisfying quality to the use of found materials — those salvaged or recycled rather than bought new. Is it the satisfaction of saving the world one landfill at a time? Or is there some spiritual quality behind materials of the past being created into something of the present? As environmental concerns awaken a need to “go green,” architecture and other forms of art are recreating themselves to please a concerned people and save a dying planet. However, there is a moment when the work becomes less about ecology and more aesthetic and comfort based. The work of Dan Phillips, who constructs low-income housing from donated “scraps,” demonstrates this. His success derives from charity as well as the beauty of his constructions. To laymen, artists seem to transform the mundane into extraordinary. Kentucky artist Paul Busse creates miniature wonderlands out of objects he finds in nature. At the start of each artist’s process, a spark of inspiration ignites the creation of work. The theory is that this spark is sometimes a result of chance occurrence. Chance occurrence questions the ability of the artist to identify the perfect piece of inspiration and says that the ideal materials are often the products of coincidence. This project explored the use of found materials in architecture and analyzed the materials’ physical and spiritual properties. It contains an investigation of ideas that are formed in the individual phenomena of the human consciousness. Self-exploration was coupled with research on artists and architects.