Natural Architecture
One of the first books we looked at was Natural Architecture by Alessandro Rocca, which is a book detailing fascinating displays of intricate, architectonic nature. He says this book displays “creations built from humble elements – twigs, pebbles, straws”. I like the description “humble” for such a formation, as it represents something minimal and beyond the eye. Narratively, this is intriguing.
This is one of my favourite examples from the book, it is known as the Mudhif by Marcel Kalberer. I really like the way the branches form to a centre point, and when grown out, it is utterly discreet and unforeseen by a glance. I want to achieve this in my project with my environment.
Rocca, A. (2011). Natural architecture. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.
Triskelion
Knowing we would reference Celtic culture and mythology, triskelions were a key aspect that kept appearing. It is known to be the “oldest symbol of spirituality”. It derives from the Greek meaning of “three legs”.
The three elements can mean many things – birth, death and rebirth; mental, physical and spirtual self; Earth, sea, sky; past, present and future; Father, Son, Holy Spirit…
It is clear that the Triskelion symbol has come to inspire even today and our use of the rule of three. Humans instinctively pick up on threes, so it makes sense that this has such a deep spiritual origin.
I would like to both use Triskelions as well as reference the rule of three in the structure of my film and wider environment.
Reference:
Irish Around The World. (2021). Triskele Symbol – The Oldest Irish Symbol’s Meanings And History. [online] Available at: https://irisharoundtheworld.com/triskele-symbol/ [Accessed 20 Dec. 2022].
The Fairy Glen
The Fairy Glen is a mysteriously beautiful rock formation in Balnacnoc, Scotland. It is enriched by its Celtic roots, specifically by its titular reference to fairies.
The rock formation features grass, limestone and basalt closer to the top. It’s important when texturing rocks that we achieve this contrast of light and dark within the rock itself.
We plan to take a lot of inspiration in terms of this environment’s formation. I like the way everything points towards the natural structure in the centre. It’s like a lookout point of some kind.
What’s also interesting is what this lookout point looks out onto… Over recent years, tourists have began placing the rocks in a spiral formation (alluding to Celtic iconography). This is a really interesting concept that we could use going forward to add a sense of narrative to our piece.
Reference:
www.isleofskye.com. (n.d.). Fairy Glen | Uig | Isle of Skye, Scotland. [online] Available at: https://www.isleofskye.com/skye-guide/skye-places/fairy-glen.
Cave Structures
After shifting our focus to a cave, it was important to research the exact Physics as to how caves are formed, and how they age.
Caves are natural voids in the ground, formed by the dissolution of limestone, dolomite and gypsum. Initially, rainwater picks up carbon dioxide as it enters the soil. This eventually leads to the formation of STALACTITES and STALAGMITES. This will be key for us when building our own cave.
www.youtube.com. (n.d.). How Do Caves Form? [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpuzU-tCADk [Accessed 20 Dec. 2022].
Son Doong cave
The Son Doong cave was a very specific example of cave that really drew my eye. It is in the Vietnamese mountains, and it is one of the largest caves in the world. The cinematic of it by Voogie inspired by a lot in terms of my own concepts and cinematography.
I particularly enjoyed the way the reflections looked, as well as the formation of central stages.
The way the people are silhouetted in the centre could be an interesting approach for silhouetting whatever our focal point is – perhaps the Stonehenge.
www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Son Doong – THE LARGEST CAVE ON PLANET EARTH. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og_1u8RFmuI [Accessed 20 Dec. 2022].