Visual Narratives - Design As Art

I had been reading 'Art As Design' whilst undergoing this project, and although it did not directly influence me, there is a general attitude in that book that no doubt had an effect on the way I was working, and thinking about my work. Sort of, perhaps crudely, reducing the themes of the book down I ended up taking away a 'less is more' type attitude. In particular I enjoyed reading about the Japanese houses, and the subtle sophistication in which they deal with space and the ordering of their space to provide comfortable and humble homes. It was too late in the game to change the direction of my project so drastically by the time I was reading about them, but i did think that a nice avenue could have been to create a picture book dealing with Japanese houses. 

"There is a space, nearly always a small space, between the street and the door. It may be six foot square, this space, but it is enough to create a sense of detachment that is, I should say, more psychological than physical." 

"The module, prefabrication, mass-production and all other things we are now recommending as necessary innovations have been used for hundreds of years in the traditional Japanese house."

"All the inside walls of the Japanese house are movable except those devoted to built-in cupboards. Similarly, with the exception of the household services, all the rooms have outside walls that slide. One puts the wall and windows where one wants them. According to the position of the sun or the direction of the wind, one can arrange one's house in various ways."

"The building materials are used in their natural state and according to logical and and natural rules. For example, what should one use to roof a wooden house, as we would use tiles? A layer of cypress bark of course, for bark is the part of the tree accustomed to alternations of sun and frost, damp and drought, so it will not rot or perish."

"Even the services are arranged with simplicity and imagination. From the lavatory window one can see a branch of a tree, a patch of sky, a low wall and a hedge of bamboo.