On our first studio class with the theme of “Fake”, our teacher made us go to the MET which by far is one of my favorite museums in New York, so automatically I felt a deep interest with this assignment. In class, we talked about MEMOIRS and discussed meanings the word carries. We concluded that the meaning of the word is as goes:
“A collection of memories that an individual writes about events that took place in their lives.”
“Not about facts, but about perspective.”
“Personal truth.”
P R O J E C T & P U R P O S E
- document an object that has significance to you
- detail on its presentation
- what do you pass by when getting to it
- feelings evoked by it
M Y O B J E C T- Marble Column From the Temple of Artemis at Sardis
“The section of a fluted iconic column in the center of this room stood over fifty-eight feet high in its original location at the Temple Of Artemis. The delicate foliate carving on the capital is unique amongst extant capitals from the temple, and the torus (foliated base), with its vegetal scale-like pattern, is also exceptionally elaborate. This capital is slightly smaller than others found at the site, indicating that it does not belong to the outer colonnade…” -description of object at the MET.
“The Temple of Artemis or Artemis, also known less precisely as the Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis and is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.”
“Artemis was an Olympian God, the daughter of Zeus and Leto. She was the goddess of the moon, and the goddess of the hunt. She was also the twin sister of Apollo.”
“Constructed in the mid 6th century BC” –http://www.ancient.eu/article/128/
O W N N O T E S –
the room before entering the next room, which contained the column
as I walked In: I came in through a white corridor. Repetitive flower carved pattern on the ceiling. Enormous white pillars with no “doors”. These pillars had similar carvings to the object I chose; the marble column.
when I entered: I walked in between the two white pillars & right in the middle of the next room (which had a much more yellow tone in terms of lighting and it was much more dim) was column. First word that came to mind: majestic 
Detailed carvings
Object so huge & grand, yet the carvings are smooth and delicate + minimalistic. This contrast the object itself which is rough & bold
The shape of the object somehow conveys a sense of continuity & stability = empire
Various shapes; mostly round + no rough edges (very few)
Feelings triggered: s e c u r i t y & p o w e r
Surroundings: Heads of individuals who seem to have been important back then such as Zeus = again the theme of empowerment. Pieces of walls/murals & they have similar carvings & seem to be from the same material as the column (marble).
Placement of Object: In the middle of the room. Center = sign of importance
E X P L O R I N G I T S F O R M
Cylinder. I walked around the column several times & it uncovers a sense of continuity. Theme of e n d l e s s n e s s comes to mind. Rock. Heavy. Takes time to decompose. Also, stability. A rock is something heavy to lift from the ground, specially one this size. Feathered-like patterns is what i assumed were the carvings on the bottom of the column. Interestingly enough, once i read its description in the museum, they described it as “scale-like”, which is very contrasting to what came to my mind. ‘Feathered’ is more serene and peaceful, whereas ‘scale’ gives off an idea of eeriness.
Thoughts: Do all these other objects have something in common with each other? Because the room is primarily filled with white objects. The black-marbled objects, in a way, breaks the serenity evoked by the whiteness, but in a way it also compliments the heavy atmosphere due to the black color complementing the heaviness of the stone (the column)
T H E M E O F C O N T R A S T
There is a black statue within the room which obviously contrasts the column. This statue is facing the column which intrigued me. It made me wonder why was it placed in such position that appears to be giving an opposing vibe. This statue is one of the few dark sculptures within the room, so it called out to me. Also, the “feathered-like” carvings contrasts with the heaviness of the
object itself. The ideas contrast each other. The idea of something light vs. something heavy such as a stone. Furthermore, the room after the column is even brighter than the room before it. The floor adjacent to each other contrast too as one is black & one is white. This theme of contrast constantly resurfaces.
Sasha G.
