Such fascinating thoughts. I have found as a Mom and pediatrician that children thrive with boundaries. As an adult, the “you can get anything” shopping trips are exhausting. Quiet and stopping are something I appreciate at times. Loud and social other times. 38 years of marriage also is an adventure, and a challenge that has made me a better person
It's a principle often found in the arts and among creatives. For instance, take the Blues, a musical genre that (in its traditional form) limits the musicians to three (maybe four) chords (usually the I-IV-V) over a repeated 12-bar pattern. But it's what each player does within that structure that matters, especially soloists. It's the very constraints of the form that promote innovation, expression and individuality.
Yes! Though I suspect a lot of folks imagine that creative constraints are *chosen* and therefore in the frame of radical autonomy, as opposed to the gifts from the unchosen parts of life as well, a la McPherson...
I love this idea, that a restraint can open up other lovely qualities. I think about this a lot in the emotional world: a commitment to a relationship, or work, takes away some freedoms and leads you deeper. Interesting that it operates in the physical realm, too. Thanks for this!
"Faro" is also the Italian word for "lighthouse", from the ancient Greek "Pharós", the island in front of Alexandria of Egypt where the most famous lighthouse of the antiquity was. The only existing representation of which (I had the fortune to see) is in Libya, it's a mosaic from the remains of an ancient Byzantine church.
Such fascinating thoughts. I have found as a Mom and pediatrician that children thrive with boundaries. As an adult, the “you can get anything” shopping trips are exhausting. Quiet and stopping are something I appreciate at times. Loud and social other times. 38 years of marriage also is an adventure, and a challenge that has made me a better person
It's a principle often found in the arts and among creatives. For instance, take the Blues, a musical genre that (in its traditional form) limits the musicians to three (maybe four) chords (usually the I-IV-V) over a repeated 12-bar pattern. But it's what each player does within that structure that matters, especially soloists. It's the very constraints of the form that promote innovation, expression and individuality.
Yes! Though I suspect a lot of folks imagine that creative constraints are *chosen* and therefore in the frame of radical autonomy, as opposed to the gifts from the unchosen parts of life as well, a la McPherson...
I love this idea, that a restraint can open up other lovely qualities. I think about this a lot in the emotional world: a commitment to a relationship, or work, takes away some freedoms and leads you deeper. Interesting that it operates in the physical realm, too. Thanks for this!
Sara, this article that came out today reminds me of the freedom-to and freedom-from tension, in a whole different way: printmag.com/culturally-related-design/stuart-semple-hostile-architecture
Thanks, Paul! That's an interesting resource for my students, too.
"Faro" is also the Italian word for "lighthouse", from the ancient Greek "Pharós", the island in front of Alexandria of Egypt where the most famous lighthouse of the antiquity was. The only existing representation of which (I had the fortune to see) is in Libya, it's a mosaic from the remains of an ancient Byzantine church.
I'd like to read about how to select heritage buildings to save in a community. Which building to renovate and why.
Inspiring read. Thank you.