A single heartbeat.

If a blog wasn't required of me this semester, I would have one anyway.

These past months have been the kind that I simply couldn't pass up documenting. There's just too much to remember; to me, this is a futile attempt to keep everything. It won't happen, no matter how much I write. I could take all the volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius that I can hold in my bag; I could keep every single paper that I've ever used this semester; I could take videos every day of sitting in studio, talking with the old man in the courtyard, or walking around the musical streets of the city. But it's impossible for me to share with you all the memories I've added to the library in my mind that makes me who I am and who I've become.

Also, that would make a hoarder out of me ---

But really,

I can honestly say that choosing to study abroad has been the best decision I've ever made throughout all of my years in school. From travelling every three weeks, going places I wouldn't be able to visit even if I travelled on my own or with a group of friends, and learning about everything we see rather than looking around with the vision of camera-lens tourists, I've taken much more out of this semester than I ever have before.

If you're in the same place I was last year (you've been ranked in the top 20 and, after thinking about costs, you're on the fence about going through with this and so you're reading other students' blogs to see how their experiences were)..... do it. Don't doubt yourself. Do it. It's worth more than I could tell you. If I could live this semester again, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Buona Pasqua, tutti!

Happy Easter, everyone! It is Easter Monday in Rome and the birds are singing outside of my open window. It's overcast outside, and will look like this for the rest of the week... I would've liked to go to Ostia Lido one last time and spent a sunny day at the beach. Perhaps the clouds will let up later in the day and I'll get to go.

For now, here's what I've been up to.

Last Wednesday

Final jury day! Nobody's project was perfect, but nobody's ever really is, just as they're never truly finished. Our assignment sparked an interesting debate among the jurors about what contemporary architecture is as compared to modern architecture, what kind of designs would be deemed appropriate, and which materials to use, among limitless other topics that branch off of each other. While I'm concerned about my grade, I'm actually not all that worried. I know that in the long run, the grade isn't the most important thing; it's the topic of the conversation. What is modern architecture? Contemporary architecture? When does restoration become reconstruction, and is it ever right to recreate something in the same material as the original? What is the purpose of the project? What were we even doing? What is it that makes "good architecture" good architecture, and what makes it "bad"? What is architecture, and what is so confusing about it that gets five practicing architects questioning each other?

When I was in my first year, I remember hearing all the time that every decision made has to have an underlying reason and/or motive. And how architects must be well-rounded in many other subjects such as philosophy, sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, science, literature, music, mathematics...you name it. They weren't kidding.

Holy Thursday

I spent half of the day on Tiber Island, people-watching and listening to music, and reading about Casa Malaparte.

Good Friday

Ventured out to the beach at Ostia Lido by myself to clear my mind, spent a memorable evening in Parco della Musica to hear Rome's symphony orchestra and chorus perform Mozart's "Requiem."

Holy Saturday

Didn't attend Easter Vigil Mass at St. Peter's Basilica because I felt sick. :(

Easter Sunday

Did attend Mass with Speer at St. John Lateran. It was beautiful in all senses. After we came back, he and I made our way to Villa Ada with Coxe to have a picnic. The largest park in Rome, it was so fun to explore new grounds and see families enjoying themselves. The clouds parted for most of the day, taking a break from overcast skies to join in the celebration of Christ's Resurrection.

Past and Present Facades

I can almost count the remaining number of days on both of my hands. Tomorrow will mark the beginning of the solemn 10-day countdown.

--------------------------------


Tomorrow is final jury! I am currently taking a break from stippling for 8.5 hours -- a relatively short amount of time, in my opinion, compared to the 12+ hours that I put into a project in my first year.


Project 3 has been an interesting exercise specifically because I never thought to do this myself: take a facade and redesign it with a more modern-day mindset. Without necessarily studying the floor plan, context, etc., there is already much to think about. Geometry, proportions, scale, and patterns that were already implemented in the original facade start to emerge and dictate the modern scheme. The design was already there.

I wonder what that would look like, if all buildings had different versions of their facades. The same building in different periods.... That could probably work both ways for many projects: what would a modern apartment's facade look like if it was designed in the 16th century? How would the architect's ideas come to be realized back then?