Virtu: Maya Lin

virtu \ vuhr-TOO; vir- \ , noun;
1. love of or taste for fine objects of art.
2. Productions of art (especially fine antiques).
3. Artistic quality.


I want to make this a weekly feature--in which I will showcase a specific designer/artist/architect that has been influential to me in some way. I love discovering new artists, so if I can introduce just one person to something that they never knew about before, that resonates with them, that's enough for me.

Whenever it comes to anything design related--be it graphic, interior, fashion, or anything else rooted in the visual arts, I have always been drawn to minimalism: to an artists ability to make one simple decision that gives life and character to the design. One of my favorite Architects is by far, Maya Lin. Possibly because she precariously straddles the line separating fine art and architecture, maybe because I can identify with her because of her race. But more than anything, her aesthetic speaks strongly to mine.



She is involved with a lot of landscape architecture, which is what I want to focus on this week. Her first and most widely recognized work is the Vietnam War Memorial in DC. At the time, the design was incredibly controversial. I could write a whole post about the project, honestly. But that's not what this is about. If you want to learn more, there's a documentary called "Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision" that I know is available on Netflix. In the memorial, she cut into the earth instead of building. She has a deep fascination with natural lines and shaping the ground.



Her website has a lot more photos of her work, along with brief descriptions of each project.

who am I & what am I doing?

I feel as if in the process of trying to slip into the role of "architecture student" I've somehow lost myself a bit. I've fallen in love with the idea of being an architect and the idea of spending hours and hours doing meticulous work in the studio. But that's not really me; it's an idea. In a way, I feel as if Architecture has become a set of blinders to everything else that I might possibly be interested in.

Now I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. That's a little scary--but a little exciting too. Because there are so many possibilities. I want to use this blog as a way to organize my thoughts and experiences. I want to explore different mediums and make things without overanalyzing. I want to be constantly motivated to be creative and to make things with my hands--because if Architecture school has taught me anything, it's that I adore the act and process of physically making things. The nature of handmade things allows for imperfections and gives layers of character and meaning that mass production simply cannot.

Relating the topic to Architecture: a hand drawing, no matter how technical leaves room for subtle differences in line weights and emphasis in drafting. The quality of the line, and the purpose of the drafter, no matter how subtle, can never be captured by any CAD program.