Mans' Usage of Structures: Meanings and Symbolism
This Exhibition is called “Man's Usage of Structures: Meanings and Symbolism, and intends to show how we are connected to the forms we build.” The photographer has selected photographs from various parts of the world from his collection to show how man adopts forms to fit his needs and purposes. Generally, such adoptions are greatly influenced by culture, values, language, ideals of the people, location, religion power, and authority. Specifically, the images in this exhibition show how structures define, reflect, and address our spiritual, emotional, physical, and functional needs, along with our creative ingenuity in an ever-evolving world. Man’s wealth, power, and authority in moments of time, space, and place are on display in this exhibition. The pictures show how structures demonstrate the extent to which people display who they are in relationship to their personal needs, the environment, and the circumstances they may find themselves in, which almost always impact our responses.
Love is in a structure that shows dedication, and mourning in the building of the Taj Mahal in India, commissioned by Shah Jahān to connect to and immortalize his eternal love for his wife, who died giving birth to their 14th child.
Religion is celebrated in man’s creation of structures and is a potent symbol of his connection to the living, the dead, and the afterlife. A robust example is the Wat Phra Ram Temple. The construction of royal temples was a means for kings to validate authority as religious figures to demonstrate spiritual legitimacy. Another is The Buddha Statue Tian Tan symbolizes the connection between faith and people and a harmonious relationship between man and nature. The Rock Church of Ethiopia is attributed to King Lalibela who set out to construct in the 12th century a ‘New Jerusalem’ after Muslim conquests halted Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land.
Transportation. Structural designs link closely to facilitating the movement of people and material, which is another of man’s adoption of form to fit needs. A noted example in this exhibition is the Oakland San Francisco Bay Bridge, the region’s workhorse bridge carrying more than a third of the traffic of all California state-owned bridges combined. It carries about 260,000 vehicles daily between San Francisco and Oakland on its two decks. Another is the wheel which is an invention for moving objects. The Wheels in Rath Yatra Religious Festival are colorful constructions used in a religious ceremony to transport people’s deities.
Regarding Entertainment, on a grand scale, man has always created structures for mass entertainment. Two prominent examples and UNESCO Heritage Sites include the Roman Coliseum (Flavian Amphitheater) and the Sydney Opera House. The Colosseum represents Ancient Roman architecture. Throughout the world, modern stadiums today closely resemble the architecture and function of the Colosseum. The Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, is a multi-venue performing arts center in Sydney, Australia is one of the 20th century's most famous and distinctive buildings and constitutes a masterpiece of architecture. Both structures connect people and their needs and interests in entertainment.
Power. Traditionally, structures have been tied to a need to show off man’s power. Examples include the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Obelisks of Ethiopia. Using the wealth stolen from other countries at the time, the Pisans built a cathedral complex, the Field of Miracles, to show the world how important and wealthy the city was. The Obelisks commemorate the military successes of the Axumite Empire. It is a lasting reminder of the once-mighty Axumite Kingdom, which controlled trade routes and held sway over the Red Sea and the Nile River. Axum was a center of learning and culture and had its own written script known as Ge’ez.
Time. Historically, structures have embodied the concept of time. For example, Macchu Picchu, located in Peru, was used as an astronomical observatory that, among other things, helped identify the seasonal changes for the Incas, indicating the best time for planting, harvesting, and mating. The Jantar Mantar of New Delhi is a collection of architectural astronomical instruments It bears witness to ancient cosmological, astronomical, and scientific traditions shared by a significant set of Western, Middle Eastern, Asian, and African religions over more than fifteen centuries. First installed in 1410, Prague Astronomical Clock is a medieval astronomical clock that tells the time, provides the date, and shows astronomical and zodiacal information.
Survival. in this exhibition relates to the design of structures to facilitate people’s survival needs relates. The Naga Pokhari Water Cistern in Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nepal, demonstrates the concept of water management in Nepal over centuries that includes the decorative use of copper and brass sculptures, stone sculptures, and used to transport excelsior of life -- water.
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Deniz Lopez - Program Director- and Co owner of of All Real One Radio, Houston, Texas
Randolph Bowes, Photo Editor/ Creative Designs and Archivist - Co Owner SF 415 Art Gallery San Francisco,CA
Lisa Brewer, fine Art Curator, Co Owner SF 415 Art Gallery San Francisco, California
Dr. Edward Valeau, Photographer Fulbright Scholar, American Council on Education Fellow
Ron K. Thomas - Co-Founder & Executive Editor/Publisher, FotoShootMagzine.com
/gallery sound: -Kathrin Klimek - Liquid Sun, source (Free Free Music Archive CC BY-SA)
Love is in a structure that shows dedication, and mourning in the building of the Taj Mahal in India, commissioned by Shah Jahān to connect to and immortalize his eternal love for his wife, who died giving birth to their 14th child.
Religion is celebrated in man’s creation of structures and is a potent symbol of his connection to the living, the dead, and the afterlife. A robust example is the Wat Phra Ram Temple. The construction of royal temples was a means for kings to validate authority as religious figures to demonstrate spiritual legitimacy. Another is The Buddha Statue Tian Tan symbolizes the connection between faith and people and a harmonious relationship between man and nature. The Rock Church of Ethiopia is attributed to King Lalibela who set out to construct in the 12th century a ‘New Jerusalem’ after Muslim conquests halted Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land.
Transportation. Structural designs link closely to facilitating the movement of people and material, which is another of man’s adoption of form to fit needs. A noted example in this exhibition is the Oakland San Francisco Bay Bridge, the region’s workhorse bridge carrying more than a third of the traffic of all California state-owned bridges combined. It carries about 260,000 vehicles daily between San Francisco and Oakland on its two decks. Another is the wheel which is an invention for moving objects. The Wheels in Rath Yatra Religious Festival are colorful constructions used in a religious ceremony to transport people’s deities.
Regarding Entertainment, on a grand scale, man has always created structures for mass entertainment. Two prominent examples and UNESCO Heritage Sites include the Roman Coliseum (Flavian Amphitheater) and the Sydney Opera House. The Colosseum represents Ancient Roman architecture. Throughout the world, modern stadiums today closely resemble the architecture and function of the Colosseum. The Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, is a multi-venue performing arts center in Sydney, Australia is one of the 20th century's most famous and distinctive buildings and constitutes a masterpiece of architecture. Both structures connect people and their needs and interests in entertainment.
Power. Traditionally, structures have been tied to a need to show off man’s power. Examples include the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Obelisks of Ethiopia. Using the wealth stolen from other countries at the time, the Pisans built a cathedral complex, the Field of Miracles, to show the world how important and wealthy the city was. The Obelisks commemorate the military successes of the Axumite Empire. It is a lasting reminder of the once-mighty Axumite Kingdom, which controlled trade routes and held sway over the Red Sea and the Nile River. Axum was a center of learning and culture and had its own written script known as Ge’ez.
Time. Historically, structures have embodied the concept of time. For example, Macchu Picchu, located in Peru, was used as an astronomical observatory that, among other things, helped identify the seasonal changes for the Incas, indicating the best time for planting, harvesting, and mating. The Jantar Mantar of New Delhi is a collection of architectural astronomical instruments It bears witness to ancient cosmological, astronomical, and scientific traditions shared by a significant set of Western, Middle Eastern, Asian, and African religions over more than fifteen centuries. First installed in 1410, Prague Astronomical Clock is a medieval astronomical clock that tells the time, provides the date, and shows astronomical and zodiacal information.
Survival. in this exhibition relates to the design of structures to facilitate people’s survival needs relates. The Naga Pokhari Water Cistern in Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nepal, demonstrates the concept of water management in Nepal over centuries that includes the decorative use of copper and brass sculptures, stone sculptures, and used to transport excelsior of life -- water.
-------
Deniz Lopez - Program Director- and Co owner of of All Real One Radio, Houston, Texas
Randolph Bowes, Photo Editor/ Creative Designs and Archivist - Co Owner SF 415 Art Gallery San Francisco,CA
Lisa Brewer, fine Art Curator, Co Owner SF 415 Art Gallery San Francisco, California
Dr. Edward Valeau, Photographer Fulbright Scholar, American Council on Education Fellow
Ron K. Thomas - Co-Founder & Executive Editor/Publisher, FotoShootMagzine.com
/gallery sound: -Kathrin Klimek - Liquid Sun, source (Free Free Music Archive CC BY-SA)