MODULE FOUR: FRAME v FIELD
INVISIBLE CITIES 2: RAISSA
In Raissa, life is not happy. People wring their hands as they walk in the streets, curse the crying children, lean on the railings over the river and press their fists on their temples. In the morning you wake from one bad dream and another begins. At the workbenches where, every moment, you hit your finger with a hammer or prick it with a needle, or over the columns of figures all awry in the ledgers of merchants and bankers, or at the rows of empty glasses on the zinc counters of the wineshops, the bent heads at least conceal the general grim gaze. Inside the houses it is worse, and you do not have to enter to learn this: in the summer the windows resound with quarrels and broken dishes.
And yet, in Raissa, at every moment there is a child in a window who laughs seeing a dog that has jumped on a shed to bite into a piece of polenta dropped by a stonemason who has shouted from the top of the scaffolding, "Darling, let me dip into it," to a young serving-maid who holds up a dish of ragout under the pergola, happy to serve it to the umbrella maker who is celebrating a successful transaction, a white lace parasol bought to display at the races by a great lady in love with an officer who has smiled at her taking the last jump, happy man, and still happier his horse, flying over the obstacles, seeing a francolin flying in the sky, happy bird freed from its cafe by a painter happy at having painted it feather by feather, speckled with red and yellow in the illumination of that page in the volume where the philosopher says: "Also in Raissa, city of sadness, there runs an invisible thread that binds one living being to another for a moment, then unravels, then it stretches again between moving points as it draws new and rapid patterns so that at every second the unhappy city contains a happy city unaware of its own existence.
PERSONAL INTERPRETATION
My personal interpretation of the theme and atmosphere conveyed in Raissa is the contrast between isolation and human connection and how it affects an individual's perspective on society and the environment around them. Personal experience and perspective govern the outlook that we have on life, dependent on how we carry ourselves and the level in which we choose to interact with others and our surrounding environment. The first paragraph of the narrative is depictive of a narrator that is closed off and cynical toward the city of Raissa and likewise is illustrative of the perspective of those within his frame. A chain of negativity is present within the scene, with a constant variable that all within it are unsatisfied and frustrated at their own circumstances. Though there is an interaction between the characters of this scene, with quarrels and the invasion of the sound of crying children penetrating the ears of surrounding characters, the connection is not continuous, instead of isolated and still.
In contrast, the second paragraph, which consists of a singular sentence, is depictive of a continuous dance between characters' interactions and how happiness provides a chain of interaction that is contagious and spontaneously present in time and space. Its ephemeral quality, as opposed to the still, depressing outlook of the overall city, exists in short bursts within each characters' frame as such giving birth to the idea of unawareness despite its ever-present nature.
The perpendicular viewpoints from which perspective images are taken allows the depiction of juxtaposition between the two paragraphs. I aim to convey in one frame, the isolation, and frustration of a still and miserable city where characters rarely interact, and in the other, a city of happiness that dances in a connection of space-time with spontaneous bursts of connection that link in an ephemeral chain.
THE OLD QUAD
To create the Old Quad in Rhino, tools like extrudecrv, loft, chamferedge, polyline and sweep were used. The design was based off the elevation and plan view dimensions of the quad. A singular module was made, and multiplied to create the desired three by three grid.
The alterations I have made to the quad include the variation of vault height in the central column, the division of the quad in the first row from the other two and the dispersion of floor tiles.
I altered the vault height to create a tapered movement in the ceiling as it decreases toward the vanishing point from perspective one. The desired effect I wished to create was the sense of trapping and constriction, represented in the closed and sinking ceiling height that reduces the volume of the ‘internal’ space.
The divide between the first column of the old quad and the subsequent ones was made to represent depression, which the city of Raissa is suffocated in, as an isolate force. From perspective one, the city is viewed through the eyes of a cynical and negative person, having the river metaphorically divide and isolate the viewer.
The dispersion of floor tiles is designed to be depictive of the pockets of happiness that sporadically appear in Raissa through human connection. The tiles separating reveals a weightlessness and juxtaposition to the order and monotony in Raissa as viewed through the eyes of a cynic. Instead it emphasises an alternative view and perspective of the city as one of happiness.
NOTATIONS
The direction notation, indicated by the thin arrowheaded line, depicts the transference of energy and human connection. They reveal the ability for human connection to have both a positive and negative impact on the community. While the long and twisting direction notations indicate the transference of happiness as energy that travels through connecting people, a shorter direction line also reveals the impact of negative human connection through a dysfunctional family hidden to the right of the landscape.
The weight/atmosphere notation is indicative of the radiation of energy from groups of people that interact with one another. The largest radial circle represents the beacon of happiness within the landscape, emphasising the weightlessness of the ground and the almost heavenly state that it appears, being defiant of gravity and structural convention. The other radial circles represent similar depictions of energy and connection, from the viewer in perspective two in an excited and engaged perspective, as well as the far right which depicts the negative weight of isolated and distrusting individuals. The circle in this instance is smaller as the energy does not transfer, rather being a static, blanket state of the city of Raissa. The lack of interaction leads to blunt, muffled energy, reflected in the smaller scale of the notation.
The time / temporal notation threshold, similar to the weight/atmosphere notation, creates a radial pattern that originates from the bottom corner of the old quad’s landscape. The position was chosen that a diagonal, outward motion was reflected in both perspectives. The radial motion represents the chain of connections between people that occur, travelling outward from the initial source of spontaneous happiness. As it reaches the outskirt toward the right, the effect of this chain is seen to deplete, as indicated by the isolated, disconnected individuals in the far right. It is meant to represent the ephemeral nature of happiness, and while it cannot be controlled, it also cannot be contained and extended infinitely from a singular source, depicting an organic nature.
The gaze notations represent the directionality of the landscape’s composition from the two perspectival viewpoints, creating an intersecting perpendicular across the old quad. This directional gaze represents how the two world views exist and are able to be viewed simultaneously, while one dominates each frame. The larger gaze arrows are indicative of an engaged viewer whereas the smaller arrows, toward the far right reflect the emotional absence of isolated inhabitants that are clouded by a negative mindset, keeping to themselves, and facing away from the community’s gaze. .
PERSPECTIVES
The characters I have chosen within this scene overall convey a sense of despair, loneliness and dissatisfaction as brought by the depressed state of the city, Raissa. In the foreground, a mother and her children are shown. The mother appears discontented while the children entertain themselves. Multiple orphans are shown throughout the composition, alluding to the lack of emotional connection between parents and their children as the financial depression of the city does not allow the luxury of establishing happy families. The positioning of the mother in the foreground, and subsequently the orphaned children in the background reflects the progression of time from which first comes her contemplation of abandoning them in hopes of a better future for herself, the children innocent and unaware. Secondly, the argumentative and dysfunctional family depicted in the right with a drunk father, abusive mother and frightened child reflects the anger and frustration at Raissa’s situation and its impact on their personal life. Lastly, toward the background, the mother appears again still discontented, the father aimless and the child hungry and fearful, conveying the absolute separation of family and human connection at its most basic level. The other characters within the scene are positioned to appear sorrowful, wallowing in their misery and wandering aimlessly through the monotony of the scene’s rigid and constraining architecture. The procession of events follows the indicated time/temporal fields of the notation, in a diagonal.
The scene is empty and barren of objects to reflect the dissatisfaction and lack of provision in the city of Raissa as absent of luxury. The layers of fog that creep into the central scene represent the clouded, isolated perspective of the characters and their inability to find a human connection.
The textures used within the composition are sandstone, conforming to the original structural representation of the old quad. By simplifying and minimalising the textural detailing, I aimed to reflect on the lack of luxury and wealth within the city, instead of building the structure out of basic, cheap materials in an essentialist manner.
From this perspective, the shrinking height of the vaulted ceilings and the overwhelming depression of the city in the background is visible. The advantage of this viewpoint is that it reflects the narrow view of the isolated people that disconnect themselves from one another. The river running perpendicular to the scene’s gaze represents the division between the viewer and the scene, showing the lack of interaction.
The characters in this scene, in contrast with the first, have a sense of belonging and happiness. None of the characters are innately alone, each indulging in a leisurely activity of their choice. The characters within the foreground are positioned close to the camera to include the viewer as a part of the scene, being absorbed into the landscape. The characters depicted are drunk, revealing the underlying depression of the city but further show an optimistic strength and coping mechanism by rallying with others to support one another within the uncontrollable circumstance. The characters toward the right are similarly indulging in their own activities with one another, showing satisfaction and contentment in spending time with one another in a peaceful manner. The background characters are introduced with animals, creating liveliness and connection beyond that of humans, but other companions, radiating a sense of prosperity and thriving that allows for the maintenance of pets. The woman in the background toward the right maintains that there are some that choose to isolate themselves, depicting continuity between the two perspectives that they exist in a singular simultaneous plane. The objects are similarly sparse, limited to an easle and chairs and tables, maintaining consistency with the city’s financial state, but here it instead serves as a freedom for the people, making space a foundation for interaction and socialisation between a multitude of groups. The textures are similarly maintained, having the structure made of basic sandstone to portray a minimalistic, fresh foundation. The background of the city is portrayed lighter here showing a bright and optimistic future. Having the two perspectives perpendicular to one another means they meet at a central point which is the centre module of the old quad. This intersection of views depicts how the views are simultaneous and the importance on perspective within mindset to make the most of bad, unchangeable circumstances and the ability for human connection to foster a loving and connected community.