Heydar Aliyev cultural centre

Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre is a cultural context being constructed in Baku, Azerbaijan. The complex was designed by Zaha Hadid. The 9 ha project has a great importance as a project for Bakus bid 2016 Olympics. The cultural centre will have a conference hall, 3 auditoriums a museum and a library.
During one of my focus weeks i flew to my home country Baku, Azerbaijan. I was very impressed when i saw this complex by Zaha hadid. It was under construction and it still is. I really liked the idea of fluid shaped complex which emerges by folding of the landscapes natural topography. As it folds inside it becomes the element of the interior. The project itself is very eye catching because of its an unusual shape. By looking at it it doesn't give an impression of a hard materials construction. Instead i got a feeling of something light flowy and stable at the same time. Below are pictures of the complex. one of them is how it looks under construction the others are images of final project.

Heydar Aliyev cultural centre

Southwark park

One of my visits during focus week was to Southwark park in Camberwell which was related to one of my projects as well. The park was designed 1869 due to the need for public space. The park itself is not well developed but there were parts of it i really liked. I thought weak part of a park is that not many people are going there because there is not much activites people can do there. After my third visit to the area i thought of the things which can improve it.

• to encourage the use of a park as an attractive amenity space particularly relevant to a younger people in the area


• Safety/ new lighting strategy


• to insert new program into the park


• to incorporate sustainable strategy/productive planting,natural landscapes and micro energy generation

.

This is one of the 3D models i used to give an idea of level changes. My idea was to use different levels for different activities, to make the area more aesthetically pleasing and so that the change in height in landscape naturally divides it up.Inspiration of the level changes came to me when i saw the Berlin free university and Mile end park(London).

Saatchi gallery

Saatchi gallery is London gallery of contemporary art opened in 1985 by Saatchi Charles to exhibit his collection to the public. In my visit to gallery this i was impressed by different art peaces and art sculptures.Most of them were Turkish contemporary art. I enjoy going to Saatchi gallery because it always has interesting art works from different parts of the world. Last time when i was there it was contemporary Indian art. Below are art works i liked more. They look complicated and simple at the same time.

Saatchi gallery

These 2 paintings are the works of Turkish artist Mustafa Huluusi. He says :he is interested in traditional Islamic art that entwines geometric patterns with floral motifs. For me these paintings are as visually attractive as possible. They are designed to stop you in your tracks and hold your attention.

Saatchi gallery

I was really impressed by this work of Toby Ziegler.The paintings surface shifts and transforms when viewed from different angles, revealing the landscape within as chimera of light and perspective.

Saatchi gallery

This work of Juliana Cerqueira shows 2 same sculptures. One of them points upwards the other one downwards. The designer herself built the box as tall as she could reach, slightly larger than her body, and completely filled with clay.One of the works is black because when she was inside the clay it was completely dark. I could see the impressions of knees, feet an elbows when i looked with attention to the piece. As i understood she wanted to show that all good things go down and bad things go up.

Saatchi gallery

Untitled is a sculpture by Marcus Foster.Untitled is a hot air balloon-like form, situated in the landscape of the gallery.It is made from steel and painted in an industrial tone. For me this work evokes coldness but at the same time it is eye catching.

Saatchi gallery

Made from desiccated insect remains, dried plant roots, and other organic epherma, Tessa Farmers tiny sculptures give a glimpse into the world of fairies. By paying attention to each insect we can see small people on them. When i saw this peace it reminded me of Avatar movie, where people were moving on big insects .

V&A

When i visited V&A museum i particularly paid attention to the elements of different periods,(steps , capitals, windows). It was nice to see how elements were changing by each period and country.

the Hereford screen

The screen is 10.5 metres high, 11 metres long and weighs over 8 tons. The screen was a star piece in International Exhibition of 1862, held in london before its installation in the cathedral in 1863. A contemporary described it as one of the most important works, not only for its size but for the care with which it had been executed, and the successful endeavour to treat what is in fact a large architetural subject in metal alone.

2 chairs(1850-1600) Italy ,Venice

Carved chairs like these were particularly associated with Venice but became popular all over Europe. In Venice they often stood in sets along the walls of the portego.

Lion shaped column base

Lions often occur in sculptures at this date(800-1200).Its use in this context harks back to the ancient world, where fearsome beasts were symbols of power and their images placed at the entrances of major buildings.

Step ends from the Palazzo Gondi

These remarkable step ends comes from one the most celebrated palaces inFlorence. Educated observers would have identified moral and politacal messages in this decoration.

Casts of heads from Salisbury cathedral.

The stone sculptures from which these casts were taken are still in Salesbury cathedral.

Romanesque style

This is a rare survival of domanesque architecture.The round arch was a key element of romanesque architecture secular as well as sacred. the zigzaf chefron borders are a common Romanesque motif.