Flying Church

In our activity in our artapre class, Ms. Jewel grouped us into groups of 4-5. And then per group, she has assigned a particular architecture (ex: house) and asked the groups to think of futuristic designs for it.


In constructing our piece of architecture, it was really hard to think of a design given the limited materials and also our limited crafting capabilities. It would have been easier to just write it down on paper with complete details and descriptions. But then of course, where is the visual architecture in that?

The piece of architecture that was assigned to us was a Church. Honestly, it was hard to think of any ideas for this, until one of our co-members had came up with an idea. He thought of a blimp which is carrying a Church underneath it. I was honestly not in favor of the whole blimp thing at first, but then when the other idea was presented, he did not really like it. And so, we proceeded with our craft.

As we went on doing our craft, we came up with ideas to support the whole blimp thing. We thought that during the futuristic time, people be really busy with material obligations, and that somehow they would come to neglect their religious responsibilities. To fix that, they would need concrete and real-life experiences of spirituality to enliven the Holy Spirit in them. And that the said concrete experience would come from the heavens itself and the surrounding beauty below it, as the flying Church takes off. That's only one of the strong reasons for building such a kind of Church.

In general, the designs and the materials used for building such architectural beauties are influenced by the needs and lifestyle of the people who are to use of admire that work of art. As Ms. Castro said, art influences people, and people influence art. So that also holds true for architecture.

Mall, oh mall

Tell me exactly how many times you went to the mall and you shall be rewarded handsomely.

(hehe).

Of course none of us can remember the exat number of times we set our foot upon the mall. And during those times which we stroll around the mall, buying stuff, and stopping by for some food, do we notice anything? We may not explicitly notice it, but unconsciously, it may have an effect on us.

Malls are built to cater to the needs of the people. Be it material or emotional in terms of bonding and socializing with others. But that is not the sole purpose of malls. In Filipino context, the building of malls all over the commercial centers of Philippines signify that Philippines aim to belong to the first world countries, and that would be made possible through the identification of Philippines as the shopping Mecca. Another purpose is to make things more efficient. Imagine, you could do your business in the mall and at the same time do you leisurely activitites too. For example, while waiting for your brother or sister at the dentist, you could shop around or watch a movie.

We may have not noticed it yet but each kind of mall somehow manipulates us to do something. For example, Sm malls are designed to cater to different kinds of people. Ayala malls on the other hand, try to make people go stop and buy.

Architecture is really essential in creating and establishing a desired theme or mood for a certain place. Putting a roman pillar along the corridor tells a lot. Putting none creates a different message. It is all up to the planning and lay out of the place and of course also up to the people on how they perceive it based on their religion, culture, and experience.