Exploring Shapes Across Places
‘She Was Always Looking at the World as Shapes’
Two days ago, I suggested “let’s say” explorations of places, based on a childhood practice. It’s all too easy to be guided by other’s approaches, so I opened with a personal “let’s say” foray to New Mexico, where I decided to follow my two cameras’ perspectives.
That sounds wonderfully inquisitive and idealistic—until reality hits and someone else’s method of interpretation takes over.
That’s not a bad thing—it’s called inspiration.
Shapes
When visiting the haunts of a much-admired artist—Georgia O’Keeffe comes to mind—the simultaneous nature of place and perception becomes clear.
Like music, her refrain echoes, as explained by a guide in the video clip below outside the famous O’Keeffe home and studio at Abiquiú.
Listen to the guide’s narrative—“she was always looking at the world as shapes”— and see what she saw. As he notes, when visiting her house (and view), “she becomes a real person.” I would add, with her own storied artwork premised on her own “let’s say’s.”
The Shape of Project Features
This is perhaps little more than a jumble of words in describing the place interpretation process, but it is also critically important, and far more than aesthetic. The inclusion of art features of all shapes and sizes as an element of project approval is important to many developers and retailers.
Below, the shapes of sculpture, scrap concrete, and folklore sell cowboy boots and frame outdoor dining.
The Shape of No Parking and Bike Racks
Similarly, shapes and colors prescribe a place not to park in an urban alley, showing how the O’Keeffe “lens” is a means to interpret and compare, while a community convention center features Santa Fe Railroad-shaped bike racks.
The Shape of Balcony Features
Meanwhile, query whether a mundane parking garage where a notable hotel once stood might nudge towards balcony shapes of a “French Second Empire style” that perished in a fire (see plaque description.)
The interplay of shapes inherent in both architectural styles and public-facing art—both intentional and inadvertent— reflects the dynamic evolution of places. Much like O’Keeffe’s orientation, our urban environments present shapes and reshapes borne from changes over time—if we choose to notice them and assess just how they fit into our “let’s say” narratives.