Process (noun): a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end
Wandering alone through the downtown library, always searching for inspiration I spot an intriguing spine that reads, "spaces of chillida". Lower case text, black on white. I know if I don't pick it up and at least take a glance, I will always wonder what was inside. As I slide the book out of its spot on the shelf, a sense of familiarity fills me. When I open the book I instantly feel as though someone has taken ideas right from my head and filled these pages. The artist, Eduardo Chillida, was a sculptor from the Basque region of Spain. He studied architecture before delving into drawing and sculpting producing art through direct contact with his chosen medium: clay, iron or stone. It is notably present that his background in architecture provided a richer body of work through a sense of spatial relationships, scaling of elements, and structured organization. Above all, I believe Chillida was instilled with a deep appreciation of the process. Having gone to art and architecture school, I am all too familiar with this fundamental act.
After a brief introduction to Chillida's work, I can begin to see his process and how he landed there. His work draws on influences from nature and ancient civilizations. The process often begins with black on white paintings and cut-paper forms. Then his ideas are led into the next dimension, and this process incurs studies of light, scale, and space. One of the final steps in this process is to site the sculpture in a desired environment.
There are parallels between the art world and architecture world, that are often intertwined. Architecture takes on a very dense process to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the occupants as well achieving a particular end result derived from a specific vision. The process in architecture is sometimes broken into phases such as: conceptual design, schematic design, design development, construction documentation, and the construction phase. This process is intended to build upon the last phase completed.
Throughout my life, I have discovered that I am deeply fascinated with the process. I find it rewarding to not only see where you came from but how you actually get there. This finding has further instilled in me a deeper appreciation for objects around me, the daily spaces I occupy, to the food that I cook. This fascination has led me to choose my surroundings more carefully in a society of take and toss. I feel obligated to recognize the process, discover how it came to be and the effects it will incur along the way. As I continue my path of becoming an architect, I have discovered that the role of the architect is dynamic and the list of responsibilities continues to grow. The duty to always ensure the health, safety and welfare no longer applies to the occupants alone; we are charged with providing this duty to our natural environment as well.
Melissa Speck