Sayre RR9 IAR 221

I have focused mainly on the West in my Reading Responses and would like to take a turn to the east. In light of the more modern architecture seen in Roth's book of western buildings, the east is doing similar things. Representing ideas more than anything, the eastern architecture of Jaipur, near the Deccan Traps ( a highly volcanic region which is possibly responsible for the mass extinction at the K-T boundary, which is the one that got the dinosaur's)  in India.

When i see Jantar Mantar I am somewhat reminded of the idea for Newton's Cenotaph. Both buildings were made in connection with the cosmo's one to represent it and one to observe it. However i feel both also have a connection in the way they look.

Above: Newton's Cenotaph, a Monument of Gravity                                     
                                                                                                                 Below:Jantar Mantar the collection of royal observatories of the Mughal Empire

Obviously, the scale of the buildings are completely different. Newton's is simply massive and could probably contain all the people that have ever visited Jantar Mantar. But thats why Jantar Mantar is here, and the Cenotaph is on paper. Jantar Mantar captures the functionality with the addition of art in the use of the arched openings, I'm guessing, were used to allow wind to move through instead of just pushing the thing over like a boat's sail made of bricks. Indeed Jantar Mantar is functional in name also "is a corruption of yantra, which means 'instrument'" (Ching p. 627), which addresses not only one but a few separate observatories for the heavens The Cenotaph, if constructed, would have allowed air to flow around its curved sides avoiding this problem. 

Here is a proposed mixing of the buildings which i think complement each other enormously, one representing functionality the other representing the concepts which were developed in light of the discoveries made by the functionality. A Jantar Cenotar Mantar Newtonar, if you will.








Kidding aside, modernism has interested me very much in that it is extremely creative, and mentally challenging and stretching category of architecture. Also in Jaipur is the almost Baroque-like structure of Hawa Mahal, meaning  "'Wind Palace'" (Ching p. 627) The wonderful repetition of half-domed "out-colves" (like alcove but poked outward, since i don't really know what you would call that...) gives the building a very busy look while allowing the eye to rest somewhat due to its uniformity. This building deserves a huge picture to capture all of the hard work and excellent design. I find this to be modern in the idea it represents. The palace was constructed so that women could view public events without being seen. I feel that this very light and weightless looking structure represents the veil or shawl worn according to culture or religion of the area when being outside. In essence it is an extension of that piece of clothing onto whats basically a wall. A very, very nice wall.

Hawa Mahal, Jaipur India. Made for women to watch spectacles, while remaining hidden. The best looking hiding spot in all of Jaipur most likely.