Isaura... city of buckets! So, just to speed things up, I'm firstly going to direct you to the feedback I've just left for Coyle, which articulates an approach for establishing a more concrete logic for the nuts and bolts of conceptualising Isaura:
The short version is Calvino's only real clue as to the space/place/geographical location/ethnicity/culture/belief system/architecture pertaining to Isaura is the inhabitants' belief in deities. My advice would be to give more research time to thinking about those Gods, because when you do, your vision for Isaura will come more clearly into focus. I really like the idea of how all the 'digging down' has slowly created a cliff or giant crater, and the idea of the buildings hugging that cliff face is nice - but let's talk about the nitty-gritty; what are the architectural principles guiding the fabrication/decoration of the Isauran dwellings? (I think you'll find inspiration for specific detailing if you investigate real world people and customs etc).
Isaura can be a challenging choice, because in one sense Calvino is very specific about those details - the buckets etc - and it sort of encourages students to think 'small' - but let's imagine for a second that Calvino's buckets are HUGE, and all those pulleys and windmills and apparatus are on an epic scale (after all, this water needs to irrigate an ENTIRE city).
I think this city is another one where we might presume different kinds of hierarchy - so the 'religious' types - entrusted with the water; those that are 'water-rich' and those that are less so (those that live further from the central well?); you'll have the workers, moving the water around? Maybe there's a police force policing the movement of the previous 'holy water?'
My view is that there's more to be discovered about Isaura - and the key is giving more time to thinking about those water gods and working your way out from there in terms of determining more of the actual nuts and bolts of this extraordinary location!
OGR 04/10/2018
ReplyDeleteMorning Vincent,
Isaura... city of buckets! So, just to speed things up, I'm firstly going to direct you to the feedback I've just left for Coyle, which articulates an approach for establishing a more concrete logic for the nuts and bolts of conceptualising Isaura:
https://thegravevelgra.blogspot.com/2018/10/online-green-light-review.html
The short version is Calvino's only real clue as to the space/place/geographical location/ethnicity/culture/belief system/architecture pertaining to Isaura is the inhabitants' belief in deities. My advice would be to give more research time to thinking about those Gods, because when you do, your vision for Isaura will come more clearly into focus. I really like the idea of how all the 'digging down' has slowly created a cliff or giant crater, and the idea of the buildings hugging that cliff face is nice - but let's talk about the nitty-gritty; what are the architectural principles guiding the fabrication/decoration of the Isauran dwellings? (I think you'll find inspiration for specific detailing if you investigate real world people and customs etc).
Isaura can be a challenging choice, because in one sense Calvino is very specific about those details - the buckets etc - and it sort of encourages students to think 'small' - but let's imagine for a second that Calvino's buckets are HUGE, and all those pulleys and windmills and apparatus are on an epic scale (after all, this water needs to irrigate an ENTIRE city).
I think this city is another one where we might presume different kinds of hierarchy - so the 'religious' types - entrusted with the water; those that are 'water-rich' and those that are less so (those that live further from the central well?); you'll have the workers, moving the water around? Maybe there's a police force policing the movement of the previous 'holy water?'
My view is that there's more to be discovered about Isaura - and the key is giving more time to thinking about those water gods and working your way out from there in terms of determining more of the actual nuts and bolts of this extraordinary location!