Form

Well today is the day of Gehry! Since we recently saw a film on the life and architecture of the post-modern expressionist Frank Gehry, I figured I'd dedicate this next study of Form to his designs.

Form is an element of art.  It is the whole of a pieces visible elements and how they are displayed.  The primary figures of form are extended 3 dimensional geometric shapes.  In the diagram below of Maggies Dundee Building, in Tayside Scotland, the dominant form is a cone.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles California is a great example of Dimensional Transformation.  This is when a primary solid is transformed by altering one or more of its dimensions yet still retaining its identity as a member of a family of forms.

Forms can also be transformed by subtracting a portion of it's volume.  Below is Gehry's Vitra Factory Building in Weil am Rhein Germany displaying Subtractive Transformation.

The IAC Building exemplifies Linear Form, which can result from a proportional change or from a series of repetitive elements.

In Formal Collision of Geometry, Edges and Corners are critical to the definition and clarity of form.  The Frank Gehry ring and matching bangle from his jewelry line emphasize the forms joints.