ARTICLE READING 

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Why Not Ornamentations

by Dayando Jivinsol Moosom

 

 

            “The race between, who has the best looking iconic structures” is what a lecturer once told me. In today’s contemporary architecture, with all the technology and understanding the human kind has achieved since the article of loof “ornamentation is crime”, it seemed that contemporary architecture is appreciating ornamentation once again. However, ornamentation today is different than the old, it has been refined and up scaled. Architects around the world are creating unusual shapes, unique, abnormal super structure. If adding little elements of ornamentations is a crime, but what if a whole building is an ornament its self. Some may look at “these” iconic structures not architecture and is just playing with decorating a façade with colourful lights and repeating patterns.

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            As an individual with an artistic point of view and appreciation for expression in art in any way of form, may it be paintings, sculptures, structures, in my opinion, I personally love the idea of ornamentation in contemporary architecture. I see it as a way of expressing art and using a structure as a canvas. When there is an iconic building in a country, this will attract all eyes across the globe and economically the country will gain from tourists. However, an architect’s job is to build with the environment, simply covering a building with flashy designs for a façade does not have any relation to its environment and what so ever, and can be placed anywhere in the world. This does not mean we should eliminate ornamentation completely.

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           There are also ornamentation used today in a form to represent a tradition and background of a country, such as the kompleks Dayabumi building in Kuala Lumpur. The design of the building is covered with traditional patterns of Malaysia. Even though the building is using a simple geometric form, however the detailing ornaments identify its environment. The mixture of this both brings me great joy. We cannot deny, it is beautiful regardless of its lack in functionality towards the environment. Back then it was a waste of time and energy, however today with all the modern technology, that point is invalid.

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            If it is no longer a “waste of time and energy”, then why not? In my opinion there is a fine line in everything we do. Yes, functionality comes first, then comes individuality values and artistic value, the freedom to express is what makes something so unique and different.