New Dana art on Insta!!! I remember seeing the drafts for the first and last pieces on her Patreon… I’m especially soft about the Lumity one because not only are they playing sports together and sweating but also. This is Luz getting to play Grudgby at Hexside with her girlfriend all over again AFTER the finale, after the pain and trauma, in the years leading up to the epilogue. After everything she can still be happy and have fun in the Boiling Isles!!!
Exploring Reading for the first time last week, I was quite surprised by the architectural variety to be seen around town, but this spot has to be a bit of a favourite so far. I'm a sucker for quirky arches and tunnels that hide scenes from view until you pass under them, revealing a completely different vista, but this scene is also quite interesting for the comparison of traditional vernacular architecture on Castle Street with the more modern architecture of the housing development behind.
Vernacular architecture is distinct from classical architecture in the sense that it was usually built more for pure functionality foregoing artistic decoration, but traditional vernacular architecture is still greatly appreciated by architectural traditionalists because it still features some variation in the basic structural pattern that break up the monotony of a large blank wall space, even be it as simple as the brick or stone arches over windows and doors to bear the weight of the structure above and transfer it around the door or window in question. The potential for decorative effect is well seen in the terraced buildings on Castle Street, which have used different materials to visually stand out more.
Technological developments in the early 20th century rendered the need for such practical features null, allowing architects to explore new artistic styles that might have their admirers, but have not seemed to gain the same universal appreciation even after the passage of time.
The more modern housing development is a typical example of modern housing estate architecture - no bold statements, and in this case there's some variation in brickwork that does something to break up the monotony of large wall faces, but there's certainly none of the character of the earlier housing stock. Of course, it does what it's meant to do, and that's no bad thing, but when we consider architecture as the backdrop of people's lives, surely we can do more to explore and create architecture that will be more universally liked?