Art, Architecture and Gender ... by Daiva Gauryte.

As defined by the Female Gender ...

1) Pre-conception: Children are raised believing from many cultural and social influences, that architecture is a technical and esteemed profession, almost exclusively practiced by males. Art on the other hand is a passion, a creative and impulsive instinct, more akin to devotion, traits commonly associated with females.

2) Exclusivity: The top echelons of many aspects of our society are still heavily influenced by male authority and decision-making, the result of this is that female influences and ideas are not fully represented or considered.

3) Conformity: The restrictions placed on the expression of ideas, arising from the need to confirm with ‘norm’ and be accepted by the establishment.

4) Environment: Gender assignment can be pre-determined by environment. Out of necessity, the dominant components of architecture and Art can be represented as either masculine or feminine depending on the requirements of their environment.

5) Practicality: Ensuring practical use of many architectural creations is often done so at the expense of art.

6) Investment: Commercial organisations and corporations have and will always maintain the ability to influence and develop the relationship between art and architecture through investment in ideas. Unfortunately, decisions made when it comes to investment, along with the people who make them, are often constrained by factors deemed more important than expression and aesthetics.

7) Disassociation: The stereotypical gender assignment of architecture as masculine and Art as feminine, subconsciously leads to a deliberate exclusion of one when creating the other. This can often result in a disassociation of the two elements, the consequence of which is a detrimental effect on the success of their relationship.

8) Constructability: Art does not conform to the physical boundaries and laws of reality, whereas architecture must always find a compromise between creative expression and structural feasibility.

9) Vocation: I view my Art practice and the practice of others with a lot of emotion, as something to be nurtured and developed, a natural instinct similar to that experienced by a parent and their child. Architecture on the other hand is precise and regulated occupation requiring technical ingenuity and a logical solution.

10) Human nature: Ultimately we have the ability to manipulate but not change human characteristics and instincts. Males are by nature and will always be more practical and logical, while females will always be more emotional and intuitive. Achieving the right balance is what is important, as one cannot exist without the other.

Exchange: The Masculine Concept Re-assigned by the Female Gender Perception.

Feminine

4) Concerning architecture, certain spaces are highlighted by the openness of space, availability of circulation, high ceilings and extravagant windows. In Virginia Cooper’s duplex apartment, artist, mother, grandmother, the visitor is welcomed by a narrow space which leads to a dining area. Then one quickly realizes the vastness of the living room, complete with extravagant windows and a transparent ceiling. A staircase leads to a bedroom and bathroom. Femininity in this case overwhelms as it showcases comfort and livability. By design does money overwhelm the difference between extravagance and the necessity for housing based on available space and not income?

9) Guggenheim Museum in New York is an imaginary and technical masterpiece. It encourages all the illusions found in architecture. Continuously, it highlights space through its circular ramp that spins around as visible in the interior and exterior. Femininity in this case is a bright example of courting gender, art and architecture.

11) Women as a gender fulfill the philosophical ramifications of what I interpret as art and communication. This is done texturally as seductive language: - That the text is seductive. And the pattern with which this act is formulated is a form of seduction. Furthermore, does the artist commit to the act as sexual or does he refrain, actualizing it as language, differentiating between what is the physical specimen that is woman and the more seductive process behind articulation of an idea or a thought?

1) The living situation in New York is made improbable due to the lack of space and increase in rent. Most apartments are constructed as if out of a matchbox, made livable by modern day provisions. Otherwise as an artist, there’s very little room to practice. The trappings of this habitude are of a masculine intent: - That we are all prisoners in our own home much like the projects of an inner city.

2) The theory concerning government property is that it’s restrictive, much like most office buildings. Architecturally, there’s very little left to the imagination. Essentially, the general public is limited from expressing ideas in the abstract. Once present, there’s an immediacy of order, control and uniformity. Does order restrict or does it bind under one rule and principle?

3) A refrain from tension, given the time and place, can be found in a bar setting. The visibility of a lounge area, bar space and windows that reflect the assemblage, all are inclusive in defining a form of refinement, carried over as a communal space. How does it separately determine the difference between the masculine and feminine?

Communal

8) The idea behind a resort is for people to seek adventure. The mappings of a place like this is to welcome a community of gamblers, vacationers or any group that seeks a thrill commonly not found in the greater parks and theaters of a city. It is structured to accompany the imagination, complete with colors, spectacular designs and bedazzling ornaments. Once again, this example is of the masculine and feminine. How does the masculine prevent from overwhelming the feminine?

5) The restrictiveness of a New York subway station is in keeping with the idea of a closed space. The exterior is of an opening to a cave, which ultimately draws fear. Once inside the underground, the machination of escape is pertinent and reluctantly we force our psyche onto a pathway of necessary travel. What are the gender implications of a closed space versus an open space?

6) The overwhelming structure of a church in all its masculinity prepares the general public for worship. Vastness of space plus the need to meditate encourages one theory that allows both femininity and masculinity to be housed under one great work of architecture. In a place of meditation, like yoga, a seemingly welcoming place is imaginable. Churches and temples take on the realm of a higher power and so it is not just meditation but the combined effort to worship. This gives an impression of fortifying a means for both genders.

7) Hunter College, located in New York City, as with most colleges and universities, is constructed to make suitable a place of study for both genders. The college is divided into four different sections, the north, south, east and west. A walkway adjoins these sections to keep a balance between them. The walkway hangs in the air with borders made of glass, allowing for a view of students walking back and forth. Outside the college is a circular seating area. Once again, the masculine and feminine relevancies are obvious in this example. The issue therefore is chemistry between the genders.

Visual Dialogue of Gender and Space: Female Spatiality.

Feminine

Masculine

Communal

Art, Architecture and Gender ... by Kofi Fosu.

As defined by the Male Gender ...

1) The living situation in New York is made improbable due to the lack of space and increase in rent. Most apartments are constructed as if out of a matchbox, made livable by modern day provisions. Otherwise as an artist, there’s very little room to practice. The trappings of this habitude are of a masculine intent: - That we are all prisoners in our own home much like the projects of an inner city.

2) The theory concerning government property is that it’s restrictive, much like most office buildings. Architecturally, there’s very little left to the imagination. Essentially, the general public is limited from expressing ideas in the abstract. Once present, there’s an immediacy of order, control and uniformity. Does order restrict or does it bind under one rule and principle?

3) A refrain from tension, given the time and place, can be found in a bar setting. The visibility of a lounge area, bar space and windows that reflect the assemblage, all are inclusive in defining a form of refinement, carried over as a communal space. How does it separately determine the difference between the masculine and feminine?

4) Concerning architecture, certain spaces are highlighted by the openness of space, availability of circulation, high ceilings and extravagant windows. In Virginia Cooper’s duplex apartment, artist, mother, grandmother, the visitor is welcomed by a narrow space which leads to a dining area. Then one quickly realizes the vastness of the living room, complete with extravagant windows and a transparent ceiling. A staircase leads to a bedroom and bathroom. Femininity in this case overwhelms as it showcases comfort and livability. By design does money overwhelm the difference between extravagance and the necessity for housing based on available space and not income?

5) The restrictiveness of a New York subway station is in keeping with the idea of a closed space. The exterior is of an opening to a cave, which ultimately draws fear. Once inside the underground, the machination of escape is pertinent and reluctantly we force our psyche onto a pathway of necessary travel. What are the gender implications of a closed space versus an open space?

6) The overwhelming structure of a church in all its masculinity prepares the general public for worship. Vastness of space plus the need to meditate encourages one theory that allows both femininity and masculinity to be housed under one great work of architecture. In a place of meditation, like yoga, a seemingly welcoming place is imaginable. Churches and temples take on the realm of a higher power and so it is not just meditation but the combined effort to worship. This gives an impression of fortifying a means for both genders.

7) Hunter College, located in New York City, as with most colleges and universities, is constructed to make suitable a place of study for both genders. The college is divided into four different sections, the north, south, east and west. A walkway adjoins these sections to keep a balance between them. The walkway hangs in the air with borders made of glass, allowing for a view of students walking back and forth. Outside the college is a circular seating area. Once again, the masculine and feminine relevancies are obvious in this example. The issue therefore is chemistry between the genders.

8) The idea behind a resort is for people to seek adventure. The mappings of a place like this is to welcome a community of gamblers, vacationers or any group that seeks a thrill commonly not found in the greater parks and theaters of a city. It is structured to accompany the imagination, complete with colors, spectacular designs and bedazzling ornaments. Once again, this example is of the masculine and feminine. How does the masculine prevent from overwhelming the feminine?

9) Guggenheim Museum in New York is an imaginary and technical masterpiece. It encourages all the illusions found in architecture. Continuously, it highlights space through its circular ramp that spins around as visible in the interior and exterior. Femininity in this case is a bright example of courting gender, art and architecture.

10) Issues concerning gender in my art practice have to do with the measure of tolerance and co-habitation between the artist and the muse. Firstly, what role does the artist play? Is he a professional or gigolo? Secondly, is the muse inclined to model and inspire or is she an art groupie? What are the facets of the relationship? Is it based on universal love or love as coital and control? Is the artist and muse comparable intellectually or is the muse a body in motion? Is there a mutual understanding behind what is to take place? Are her talents recognized in financial terms, barter or sex?

11) Women as a gender fulfill the philosophical ramifications of what I interpret as art and communication. This is done texturally as seductive language: - That the text is seductive. And the pattern with which this act is formulated is a form of seduction. Furthermore, does the artist commit to the act as sexual or does he refrain, actualizing it as language, differentiating between what is the physical specimen that is woman and the more seductive process behind articulation of an idea or a thought?

Exchange: The Femine Concept Re-assigned by the Male Gender Perception.

Feminine

1) Pre-conception: Children are raised believing from many cultural and social influences, that architecture is a technical and esteemed profession, almost exclusively practiced by males. Art on the other hand is a passion, a creative and impulsive instinct, more akin to devotion, traits commonly associated with females.

3) Conformity: The restrictions placed on the expression of ideas, arising from the need to confirm with ‘norm’ and be accepted by the establishment.

4) Environment: Gender assignment can be pre-determined by environment. Out of necessity, the dominant components of architecture and Art can be represented as either masculine or feminine depending on the requirements of their environment.

7) Disassociation: The stereotypical gender assignment of architecture as masculine and Art as feminine, subconsciously leads to a deliberate exclusion of one when creating the other. This can often result in a disassociation of the two elements, the consequence of which is a detrimental effect on the success of their relationship.

8) Constructability: Art does not conform to the physical boundaries and laws of reality, whereas architecture must always find a compromise between creative expression and structural feasibility.

9) Vocation: I view my Art practice and the practice of others with a lot of emotion, as something to be nurtured and developed, a natural instinct similar to that experienced by a parent and their child. Architecture on the other hand is precise and regulated occupation requiring technical ingenuity and a logical solution.

Masculine

1) Pre-conception: Children are raised believing from many cultural and social influences, that architecture is a technical and esteemed profession, almost exclusively practiced by males. Art on the other hand is a passion, a creative and impulsive instinct, more akin to devotion, traits commonly associated with females.

2) Exclusivity: The top echelons of many aspects of our society are still heavily influenced by male authority and decision-making, the result of this is that female influences and ideas are not fully represented or considered.

4) Environment: Gender assignment can be pre-determined by environment. Out of necessity, the dominant components of architecture and Art can be represented as either masculine or feminine depending on the requirements of their environment.

5) Practicality: Ensuring practical use of many architectural creations is often done so at the expense of art.

6) Investment: Commercial organisations and corporations have and will always maintain the ability to influence and develop the relationship between art and architecture through investment in ideas. Unfortunately, decisions made when it comes to investment, along with the people who make them, are often constrained by factors deemed more important than expression and aesthetics.

7) Disassociation: The stereotypical gender assignment of architecture as masculine and Art as feminine, subconsciously leads to a deliberate exclusion of one when creating the other. This can often result in a disassociation of the two elements, the consequence of which is a detrimental effect on the success of their relationship.

9) Vocation: I view my Art practice and the practice of others with a lot of emotion, as something to be nurtured and developed, a natural instinct similar to that experienced by a parent and their child. Architecture on the other hand is precise and regulated occupation requiring technical ingenuity and a logical solution.

Communal

10) Human nature: Ultimately we have the ability to manipulate but not change human characteristics and instincts. Males are by nature and will always be more practical and logical, while females will always be more emotional and intuitive. Achieving the right balance is what is important, as one cannot exist without the other.

Visual Dialogue of Gender and Space: Male Spatiality.

Feminine

Masculine

Communal