CHAPTER 1 | PRIMARY ELEMENTS
Point
A geometric element in space serving as a position with no extension.
The below image of the Pyramids in Giza shows an example of a point used in a real-life situation. In this instance, the points are positioned at the top of each pyramid where the three planes come together at a “point.” The point is at the center of the environment which gives the presence of stability and at rest.
Line
Tracing a moving point that becomes one-dimensional with length, direction, and position.
The image below is of Mar Adentro Hotel and Residences in San José del Cabo, Mexico. The use of various lines entwined and connected creates a ceiling over the dining area. Another line shown is the sofas on each side form a line and the long extended table in the middle of the image. The lines in the image are all used to join, link, support, surround, and intersect visual elements.
Plane
A boundless two-dimensional shape where lines have been extended to create length and width, shape, surface, orientation, and position.
The image below shows a representation of a Plane in a design situation by Rie Azuma at the Hoshinoya Tokyo Spa Hotel. The four lines create a square for the cover of a locker which creates a squared plane. The primary characteristic of a plane is its shape and in this case it is a square. The woven texture on the locker implies the visual weight and stability of the plane.
Volume
Multiple planes used to form a 3-dimesionional space to form an object with line, width, and depth, form and space, surface, orientation, and position.
The image below shows the Library of the University of Economics Vienna. The volume of a space was displaced by the mass of the building. The building serves as a container that can be read as masses that define volumes of space. The building has created a volume by having each point connecting planes that have been formed by lines that create multiple planes defining the limits of a plane. A volume's form is the most identifying shape. This shape is creating two irregular shaped forms that are adjacent to each other.
Primary Elements in Art
Point
"A discarded envelope, a wet bag on the street, or the shadow of a street sign; any of these things may act as a starting point for my deceptively simple geometries."
-Matthew Feyld
Line
My works are minimal and reduced, but also maximal. I try to make them concise, clear statements in three-dimensional form, and also to take them to a breathtaking level of beauty.
–John McCracken
Volume
"I like to create architectures of light. I employ neon tubes to build places for poetical inhabitants, trying to create dream-like spaces that allow for reflection."
-Massimo Uberti
Photo Citation
Ching, F. D. (2014). Architecture: Form, Space, and Order, 4th Edition. John Wiley & Sons.
The Great Pyramids of Giza Facts And Figures. (2016, December 02). Retrieved April 06, 2017, from http://foundtheworld.com/great-pyramid-of-giza/
McWhirter, G. (2017, February 24). Take a Midwinter Break With 5 Cutting-Edge Hotels and Hostels. Retrieved April 06, 2017, from http://www.interiordesign.net/slideshows/detail/9499-take-a-midwinter-break-with-5-cutting-edge-hotels-/
Waligore, A. (2017, January 15). Uber Technologies by Assembly Design Studio: 2016 Best of Year Winner for Large Tech Office. Retrieved April 06, 2017, from http://www.interiordesign.net/projects/12678-uber-technologies-by-assembly-design-studio-2016-best-of-year-winner-for-large-tech-office/
Library of the University of Economics Vienna – outside. (2015, August 05). Retrieved April 06, 2017, from https://ebookfriendly.com/modern-libraries/library-of-the-university-of-economics-vienna-outside/
John McCracken. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2017, from http://www.davidzwirner.com/artists/john-mccracken
MASSIMO UBERTI. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2017, from http://massimouberti.it/
Feyld, M. (2017, February 28). Matthewfeyld. Retrieved April 11, 2017, from http://matthewfeyld.tumblr.com/post/157799818313/untitled-2016-2017-acrylic-pigments-modeling