Thanks for being patient - so Moriana - hmmm, I like this one. It is tricky and full of contradictions. I think Calvino gives lots of useful clues in his description and perhaps of all his cities, this is the one where perhaps we can attach significance to its name being the name of woman. Calvino mentions 'Medusa' - a once-beautiful woman who lures men to their death; he describes alluring dancing girls with silver scales. I get the sense that Calvino is describing an enchanting feminine place that has this kind of effect on its visitors...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren_(mythology)
I like all the Atlantean stuff in your mission statement - Moriana does indeed feel very underwater derived, so perhaps, in terms of enriching your visual concept and design ideas, you might consider looking at the sorts of marine wildlife that is both 'beautiful' (and architectural) but also 'deadly' or toxic or damaging - as Calvino tells us that Moriana is also a place of desperation and 'hidden victims'...
So, just in terms of pushing your conceptualisation of Moriana, I'd encourage you to focus in further on some of Calvino's 'beautiful but destructive' messaging in his text and seek to find a way to marry together that element with your interest in the 'under-the-sea' motifs you've previously identified.
OGR 04/10/2018
ReplyDeleteEvening Cas,
Thanks for being patient - so Moriana - hmmm, I like this one. It is tricky and full of contradictions. I think Calvino gives lots of useful clues in his description and perhaps of all his cities, this is the one where perhaps we can attach significance to its name being the name of woman. Calvino mentions 'Medusa' - a once-beautiful woman who lures men to their death; he describes alluring dancing girls with silver scales. I get the sense that Calvino is describing an enchanting feminine place that has this kind of effect on its visitors...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren_(mythology)
I like all the Atlantean stuff in your mission statement - Moriana does indeed feel very underwater derived, so perhaps, in terms of enriching your visual concept and design ideas, you might consider looking at the sorts of marine wildlife that is both 'beautiful' (and architectural) but also 'deadly' or toxic or damaging - as Calvino tells us that Moriana is also a place of desperation and 'hidden victims'...
https://www.conservationinstitute.org/7-deadliest-poisonous-jellyfish-world/
https://inhabitat.com/austrias-blob-shaped-kunsthaus-graz-art-museum-generates-its-own-solar-power/
https://lifeinthefastlane.com/scorpionfish-stonefish-lionfish/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/architecture/11170463/Frank-Gehry-interview-Fondation-Louis-Vuitton-Paris.html
So, just in terms of pushing your conceptualisation of Moriana, I'd encourage you to focus in further on some of Calvino's 'beautiful but destructive' messaging in his text and seek to find a way to marry together that element with your interest in the 'under-the-sea' motifs you've previously identified.