Wednesday, June 14, 2006

SHODDY, POST-SURGERY ARTICLE #6A


A CHINESE BRIDGE

Actually these are pictures of two similar bridges but I'm having trouble figuring out which close shot belongs to which bridge so, what the heck, for our purpose they're all the same bridge.




What a pleasure it must be to walk on this bridge! The texture and complexity of the wood, the beautiful proportions of the enclosed space, the way the outside world is framed and presented to the walker, the smells and sounds, the moving air....I'm always amazed that architects can repackage reality for us in such a pleasing way.

I love how each step forward reveals new details. I love the mystery of what's behind a corner being gradually unravelled. I love incompletely-glimpsed distant shapes that require us to make sense out of them.

I also like the way architects can make simple tasks, like crossing an obstacle to get to the other side, into profound and insightful experiences. I'll bet people decided to get married while crossing this bridge. I'll bet kids decided what they wanted to do with their lives while crossing the bridge to go to the store.

I love the lack of ornament. The structure itself is so beautiful that no ornament is needed! This is vernacular architecture meant for everyday use by ordinary people.


A glimpse up is like a glimpse into heaven, a reminder of the pleasure we take in the intellect of others and of how good it feels to be part of a community.

20 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:13 AM

    "A glimpse into heaven"?! "How good it feels to be part of a community"?! This from a man with a well-formed skepticism of the hoi polloi!

    Eddie...did the hospital supply you with a lot of painkillers, by any chance?

    No, but seriously--that's one hell of a soulful post, there, son. Really beautiful. It is amazing what a profound effect architecture can have on the human spirit.

    You know, you can get almost that feeling by walking around the Gamble house, or the gardens at the Huntington--there are little places, here and there, in this godforsaken concrete jungle.

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  2. Boy, I hope everybody doesn't hate me for building posts around my picture archive so frequently! Doing that makes it easier for me to post while my eye is recovering. You have to admit, though...it is a pretty interesting bridge. Why don't we build bridges like that here?

    Eddie

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  3. Anonymous12:35 AM

    that, sir, is an amazing bridge.

    and even more amazing drawings of that bridge.

    I wonder if that bridge still exists.

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  4. Anonymous: Thanks for the compliment! You know, I've never been to the Gamble Hoose. Just saw pictures. Thanks for reminding me about it.

    Eddie

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  5. I love the organicness of the structure. I find so many constructions these days to be cold and boring. I'd like a bridge like that to be part of my childhood or hometown. I wish for a small time at least I could get the chance to live somewhere both modern and part of nature like this. Surrounded by rock, wood, and streams.

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  6. For all my life Ive drawn cartoons and have this thing stuck in my head that there is this specific genre of things that can be classified as art.. Until recently i started working for some industrial designers and realized what kind of design and art go into things most people dont even think twice about, such as chairs, lamps, tables, etc.. Its amazing how much engineering and artistic merit these everyday practical objects have.

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  7. Anonymous4:42 AM

    Right on Eddie... Keep it coming! We talk at work about this stuff all the time, and it's insightful and meaningful and there's nothing wrong about that.

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  8. Hi Eddie

    You have beautiful bridges right in your own backyard... The Huntington Hotel Picture Bridge is in Pasadena, spanning a section of the arroyo. It's covered in vines and is decorated with oil paintings done in the teens depicting early California. There are a bunch of great bridges, large and small in Pasadena... "Fairy Bridge", "Suicide Bridge", the bridge in the Japanese garden at Huntington Library... Then there's the great old bridge in Silverlake they used in Roger Rabbit and the jaw dropping engineering feat of the four level interchange downtown. You even told me about an amazing one at the Getty.

    See ya
    Steve

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  9. Dude, you are TOTALLY gettin' laid because of this blog post. ;)

    Yeah, the Chinese are quite an intelligent and artistic culture. I just wish their current government was a little more "people friendly".

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  10. Oh, and I also managed to get my illustrated music theory onto my blog. Check it out here. Sorry about the small and faint printing on some of them. You'll have to click on the image to read what those have to say. :(

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  11. As long as your posts are as interesting as this one, they can be about whatever you want, if you ask me.

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  12. I don't know Kwai you posted these bridges, but they are indeed beautiful.

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  13. Anonymous10:53 AM

    Makes me wanna go there, and take a nap- it looks so peaceful. Yes, there should be bridges like that here, because then I could sleep on them.

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  14. Steve: Thanks for reminding me about all the great bridges there are close to home. It's funny how few of us ever investigate the goodies that are right next door!

    Eddie

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  15. This is a great post, Eddie. This post meant a lot to me - it reminded me of my father.

    BTW - "bubbala" is a term of endearment. :)

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  16. Anonymous5:52 PM

    Eddie, you're such a goy!

    ; )

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  17. That was a great post Eddie. I'd love to get cool architecture into my cartoons, but I can't draw perspective!

    Will you do it for me?

    John

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  18. Indeed there are a good number of notable structures "here", but not all of them are as highly organic in design nor its concrete surroundings. These you have posted not only have great design but where they are also contains a certain historical "vibe" that this cultural infant country simply cannot recreate entirely.
    It sounds silly, but that's how it is to me at least: When there is a lot of history(centuries and centuries of it)in/around a place, it definately is more thought-provoking and evokes an inner profoundness that some people would not have realised of themselves elsewhere.
    People who have visited Asia, Europe and the like know this feeling. The rest of us can get a taste of that from just looking at a picture. Pictures are worth a thousand words and thoughts.

    Just my opinions anyway.

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  19. John: Thanks for the kind words! Cool architecture!? You got it!

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