Italy _ LOOK AT WHAT THE LIGHT DID

LOOK AT WHAT THE LIGHT DID IN ORVIETO, ITALY FALL 2021 “THE LIGHT INVADES THE SPACE, AND THE LIGHT SHAPES ITS MOMENT.”

DUC NGUYEN . Graduate student . Kansas State University . Manhattan, KS 66506 . Dnguye@k-state.edu GARY COATES . Professor . Italian . Studies Program . Fall 2021

INTRO THE LIGHT SEES ME AND THE LIGHT SHAPES ME

DUC NGUYEN

GRADUATE STUDENT KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY MANHATTAN, KS 66506 DNGUYE40@K-STATE.EDU

«In Orvieto, every morning I woke up, the light set my day.»

The light is not just an element to divide day and night, but also a living object that can define its space, its presence, and its language. The light carries the power to turn inanimate things into living things thanks to its movement, its density, and its color.

The light is the lifekeeper of Orvieto. The light depicts the texture of the history on Tufa facades, on the wooden doors, and on the stone roads. The light diffuses the color of life into the air, runs through leaves, lays down on fruits, and catches on our clothes. The light calls out the time presenting through its path from sunrise to sunset, from summer to winter, and from sunny to snowy. Life in Orvieto is livelier and more colorful in every moment thanks to the impact of the light.

Participating in the Study Abroad program from Kansas State University, we had a great opportunity to fully experience the beauty of life. Living in Orvieto, we were able to capture the beauty of our life is by looking at the combination of texture, colors, light, and shadow. And, thanks to our readings, we are moving forward to not just seeing the beauty, but observing it and bringing it into our future careers. With the inspiration from Juhani Pallasmaa, we maximized our senses’ ability to feel the life presented around us.

Looking at the presence of the light in a specific space at different times, we can greater understand how the light sets up its language in order to call out the property of the space. Furthermore, the photos were taken once in the morning, midday, and in the evening to deeper analyze the dynamic of the light and its power to create different expressions in one space,

2

TABLE OF CONTENT

INTRO

02

PHOTO MATRIX

04

SUMMARY OF OBSERVATIONS

06

LIGHT SPACE

08

CONCLUSION

18

3

OCT 12, 2021

09:10

OCT 12, 2021

12:50

OCT 12, 2021

15:00

OCT 25, 2021

09:00

OCT 25, 2021

15:00

OCT 25, 2021

17:15

NOV 02, 2021

09:22

NOV 02, 2021

13:10

NOV 02, 2021

17:10

NOV 09, 2021

09:25

NOV 09, 2021

13:10

NOV 09, 2021

17:10

PHOTO MATRIX

4

OCT 12, 2021

09:10

OCT 12, 2021

12:50

OCT 12, 2021

15:00

OCT 25, 2021

09:00

OCT 25, 2021

15:00

OCT 25, 2021

17:15

NOV 02, 2021

09:22

NOV 02, 2021

13:10

NOV 02, 2021

17:10

NOV 09, 2021

09:25

NOV 09, 2021

13:10

NOV 09, 2021

17:10

5

In order to capture the dynamic of the light and the impact of its to a space, Via Corsica was chosen.

The location carries a wide range of different properties, which will be suitable to see the shape of the light influent by the shape of the space and how a space can be seen in different moods with the presence of the light. The winding path, the variety of building high, the richness of the texture from the Tufa faces to the stone road, and the transition from a dark narrow alley to the sky, everything works together to create a special space, where the light will be cast and stored to become a part of the space. The diversity of the space also allows for a variety of experiences affected by the light.

The path is alive when it answers the call of the light. Throughout the day, or sometimes, only in a few minutes, the light would be cast in a different shape and form due to the diversity of the roofs, building heights, and the sun path itself. Our light in Orvieto isn’t dead on a single wall, but playful from one facade to facade, from time to time. Each time the sunlight touches the Tufa facade, the texture of the ancient town is lightened up. The texture is so strong that becomes a time-teller about the life here. also, each stone on the path, throughout the movement of history, is polished with layers of time. Appearing in the sunlight, those stones reflect the colors of the sky, rain, facades, and of everyone who walks along the path. These colorful interactions are a conversation of all the elements of this path with the light. And, this conversation only stops when the path goes to sleep, when the light goes back to its home, and when the dark wakes up.

The volume of the space is not defined by the building themselves, but by the contrast between the light and the shadow, by the presence of the light. The path is narrower and more enclose when there is a high contrast between the light and the shadow. The walk from the light to the shadow suggests the transition from outside to inside, from one space to another secret space; whereas sometimes, the light is so soft that the transition is blurred and the path seems «endless». When the light is cast clearly on the facades, the path is joyful and playful; and when there is an absence of the light, even in just a short moment, the path is empty and lonely. The light is plastered on the wall to expose the shadow. These plasters, with the materials of the light, are the rhythm of the space and the texture of the time-light-dark-light-dark. (NOV 02, 09:22) In the light space, there is the shadow; and in the shadow, there is the light. They are contracted to each other, but they also work together to become the character of the space. And, with the support from the texture and the diversity of the buildings, the space tells us about the history of Orvieto.

SUMMARY OF OBSERVATIONS

6

OCTOBER

08:55

06

th

,

2021

12:55

18:38

“Th e n a r r o w p a t h w o r e t h e c o l o r o f t i m e ”

LIGHT SPACE

8

In the morning It was a cold cloudy day. The grey covers everything and the light was diffused into the dark.

In the afternoon A touch of brightness in the afternoon was not enough to fulfill the grey of the day.

In the evening The brightness of the night light was just enough to depict the texture of old stone facades.

In my mind That day was lonely and empty. The narrow path wore the color of time. That old grey color covered my vision and reminded me that I was living in an ancient town. There are thousands of people who have walked on this path and now, the historic buildings are standing there quietly to welcome people to explore its time.

9

OCTOBER

09:10

12

th

,

2021

12:50

15:00

“Th e n a r r o w p a t h w a s t h e p l a y g r o u n d o f t h e o r a n g e ”

LIGHT SPACE

10

In the morning The orange perched on the facade for a morning delay, wakening up the life of the path.

In the early afternoon The orange disappeared for an afternoon break, leaving the path alone and yielding its place for the grey.

In the mid-afternoon The orange came back to its playground and perched on a different facade. The orange played its game with the shadow, opening a new dark space in the light space.

In my mind How could I believe that it was a presence of mysterious clouds in the afternoon, contrasting to the blue sky of the day in general? And, the orange was just popping around its playground till its gone.

11

OCTOBER

09:00

25

th

,

2021

15:00

17:15

“Wi t h o u t t h e l i g h t , t h e n a r r o w p a t h w a s e n d l e s s a n d m y s t e r i o u s ”

LIGHT SPACE

12

In the morning A touch of the sun was not enough to wake up the sleeping path.

And, the sky was just grey, enough to reflect the stone path.

In the afternoon Going for a break, the sun left the space for the grey, and the sky was just slightly blue to speak for itself in a short moment.

In the evening The grey covered everything, flatten the space, blurred the texture, and forced the space to sleep again.

In my mind That day, the light desired to come to its playground. However, that was not enough to lighten up the sleeping space. And, the grey was so strong that it took over and put everything to sleep, leaving behind loneliness. Without the light, for me, the path was endless and mysterious.

13

NOVEMBER

09:22

02

nd

,

2021

13:10

17:10

“ Fr o m a l i v e l y s p a c e , t h e n a r r o w p a t h b e c a m e a n e n d l e s s m y s t e r y ”

LIGHT SPACE

14

In the morning The contrast of the sunlight and the shadow was so strong that brought the sky down to the stone path, thickening the layers of time on each stone. The light plastered on the wall, creating its own texture.

In the afternoon Suddenly, the light went away, leaving behind a quiet path. The sky took advantage of this time to expose its blue.

In the evening Now, the blue sky changed its look, put on it grey cloth. The colorful time is over. the path went back to its normal look - the color of time.

In my mind The path was colored by the orange and the blue, then, the orange was taken off, and lastly, the blue. Everything slowly disappeared that the narrow path went from a lively space to a path leading to the sky; and, to an endless mystery.

15

NOVEMBER

09:25

0 9t h ,

2021

13:10

17:10

“People loved to stand in the shadow but looked out to the light”

LIGHT SPACE

16

In the morning The morning life was depicted with a touch of the blue sky. The endless path appeared and welcome people to come and explore it.

In the afternoon The blue was softened. The light took over the «exterior», the shadow took over the «interior». They exposed their contrast to define their regions.

In the evening The sun and the blue sky were gone, the battle of the light and the shadow was over. The peaceful path was brought back and ready to sleep in its history again.

In my mind The path was just so dark that it became a house of the shadow, refusing the light to go inside. The path was divided into the dark region and the light region. People loved to stand in the shadow but looked out to the light.

17

In the light space, there is the shadow; and in the shadow, there is the light. They are contracted to each other, but they also work together to become the character of the space. The beauty of the light can only be seen and formed when there is the contrast of the shadow. The light does not only fulfill a space but also creates its texture thanks to the shadow.

During my architecture education, I have learned how to fill a space with light to make it more welcoming. I also have learned how to use the power of light and shadow to create the additional texture to form the language of light. However, I have not fully learned how to let the light expose and speak for itself. Instead of trying to control the light to be a part of the architecture, following the language of the light, accepting its presence, and letting the light change the way we are doing would bring back a more natural and thoughtful design. Furthermore, while I spend most of my time concerning how to incorporate the light into my designs, understanding the impact of the shadow in architectural space and the interaction between the light and the shadow can give me a better approach to defining my light space. Most people love to be wrapped by the light in their space; however, with a touch of the shadow, that space would be more meaningful and special; just as people love to stay in the shadow, but look out to the light.

The meaning of the light space would not be completed without the support of the texture, the material, the diversity of surrounding objects, and especially, our five senses that Pallasmaa has suggested. Although our eyes see the beauty, our ears can capture the sound of the space, our nose smells the atmosphere of the space, and our tongue tastes the flavor of where we stand. Lastly, our body will touch to feel the space and through that, our body catches the movement to skeleton and muscle.

These impacts on our senses can be done not only through physical contacts but also through the sense of sight that is depicted thanks to the light. The light will make a rough surface rougher; and a wet surface, under the light, will be more reflective. Understanding how we capture the space and the effect of the light on each element of our surroundings, I can confidently apply that knowledge to greater strengthen the experiences that I hope to bring to people through my designs. My architectural language will be more powerful and diverse thanks to the use of different senses with light and shadow.

Isn’t a space with a limited amount of light at some specific times will be more meaningful than having the light all day long? Some types of architecture would require to have the light throughout the day. However, perhaps we will think more when at a specific time, we see the light; as we only value the light when we stay in the dark. And, people love to stay in the shadow but look out to the light.

CONCLUSION

18

STAY IN THE DARK & LOOK OUT TO THE LIGHT THAT IS A MOMENT OF EXPERIENCE!