On the Ground

Contributors: KERRY GARIKES, MENGI LI (M.Arch I, ‘19), CAROLINE ACHEATEL, CHRISTIAN GOLDEN, JACQUELINE HALL, DAVID LANGDON, MEGHAN ROYSTER  (M.Arch I, ‘18), TIM ALTENHOF, ZACHARIAH MICHIELLI, SURRY SCHLABS (PhD)

OPEN HOUSE

The Fall Open House created a flurry of activity on all floors of Rudolph. On the 2nd floor, joint degree students fielded questions about why they decided to stay another year, with most inquiries directed towards our MBA associates. On the 4th floor, the EISENMAN STUDIO presented; needless to say, they are still searching for lateness. Lunchtime lured a stream of current students up to the 7th floor, if not for the catered sandwiches, then also for the insight and extracurricular advice current students offered to prospective students.

The campus tour for prospective students, led this fall by SURRY SCHLABS (PhD), contextualized the style and character of Yale’s modern campus in terms of its relationship to the growth and development of the university’s host city, New Haven. It emphasizes both the evolution of Gothic revivalism in the United States and the long history of education in the arts at Yale. Tour highlights include a survey of the University arts district along Chapel Street, a jaunt through James Gamble Rogers’s Branford and Saybrook colleges, and a visit to the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. KERRY GARIKES (M.Arch I, ‘19), who assisted on the tour, did a masterful job of working the crowd, though in general the aspiring Yalies came across as fairly quiet and reserved, if not altogether anxious, relative to previous groups. Something in the air? The Yale-brand bottled water? The state of international geopolitics? Whatever the reason, the stakes for this year’s visitors felt especially high. One assumes the vibe on next spring’s tour—for accepted students—will be considerably more relaxed. No pressure, right?

If you were lucky, your Open House day included free leftovers on the 7th floor. If you were even luckier, you were one of the representatives of Film Club, Paprika!, EiD, Outlines, Retrospecta, Perspecta, Christian Fellowship, Architecture Lobby, Badminton, or Soccer who enjoyed the Art History Department’s massive and unused 7th floor terrace on an unseasonably warm November day.

11/1

A big group from YSoA, organized by MARTIN MAN, DIEGO ARANGO, and LUKE STUDEBAKER (M.Arch I, ‘19), attended the March to End Homelessness. At the event, members of the New Haven community discussed a proposal to use vacant housing for the homeless, the increase in aggressive policing and criminalization of homelessness on the Green, Yale not paying taxes and supporting the city, the city’s only shelter being infested with bedbugs, and the need to support homeless LGBTQ youth.

11/2

During their lecture, AMICA DALL and JOE HALLIGAN of the London-based art and architecture collective Assemble spoke of their practice relative to capital. Their lecture title, “For a Few More Dollars” set up expectations of a behind-the-scenes tell-all. Instead, the audience witnessed a reenactment of Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, learning, as stated in Policy 2.8.5.5.7.4.4.8, that there is a difference in being ironically serious versus seriously ironic.

11/3

At Friday’s second Brown Bag Lunch, hosted by Modern Architecture and Society + Formal Analysis, MARIO CARPO demonstrated how the Renaissance “cut ‘n’ paste” mentalities of the likes of Alberti reassured postmodern phenomenologists with a penchant for collage. Baffled by some of Alberti’s own designs, Carpo sought encouragement from the audience. Attendees assiduously tried to make sense of a set of scrolls, mysteriously added to either side of Santa Maria Novella’s façade.

MARK OPPENHEIMER of the Yale Journalism Initiative gave a fiery review of this semester’s lineup of Paprika! Folds. The Good: Our homegrown publication is maturing! Issue Editors and contributors were praised for their curation of content, for including a range of voices, and for general writing prowess.The Bad: There’s a startling lack of architecture, drawings, and reference to New Haven. The Ugly: The echo-chamber. “Why are you all so damn liberal? There’s obviously no conservative right-wingers here. And that’s f***ing boring!”

Perspecta 50 URBAN DIVIDES, launched in New York at the Van Alen Institute. Meanwhile, first years hosted 6/7: “Stranger Things”, complete with subtle references to the show.

11/4

FC YSoA ended its record-setting season Saturday with a pair of well-fought playoff games, including a 2-0 win over the Engineers and a final 0-0, PK shootout loss to Flower Power. Goals were scored by SAM ZEIF (M.Arch I, ‘18) and DAVID LANGDON (M.Arch I, ‘18), with PK goals also by SAM ZEIF and JONATHAN MOLLOY (M.Arch I, ‘18). It was the best finish yet for YSoA’s intramural team: third place overall.

11/5

DEAN DEBORAH BERKE met with students Sunday night to share updates regarding the School’s Strategic Plan. Among the various initiatives (including improved affordability, diversity, engagement with the broader community, increased collaboration between the professional schools, etc.), the largest point of contention among faculty, according to Dean Berke, is in how to define architecture.

11/5

The undergraduate JUNIOR STUDIO made their first collective site model! Unfortunately, it was mysteriously scaled at 1/19.5”=1’. Needless to say, they are currently making their second collective site model.

11/6

The Second Year daylighting assignment received a rain delay due to the (un)surprising lack of sun in Connecticut in November. On the brighter side, over in Studio Gage, the battle of how rocks emit light still ensues.

November 9, 2017