mardi 1 mars 2016

On designing vernacular architectural models

My apologies if this has been previously discussed
On the internet I recently read (not here) a very nice comment about my model buildings, along with the observation that due to the small scale, such things as stairs and steps were perhaps too tiny and fiddly for children to assemble. I see no reason, other than aesthetic, why anyone can't supplement paper models with plastic or wooden parts that at the very least would avoid such fiddling about, and yet still make for an attractive model. Indeed Tapi has greatly enhanced my croft houses with the splendid addition of appropriate timbers that in paper terms would have added hours of frustration. Perhaps the ideal solution might be to supplement the instructions with alternative suggested parts, bearing in mind that substitutes aren't always available in various countries.


I have still been very busy designing models, mostly unfinished though as I easily get distracted by further ideas in the pipeline. I am also researching lots of books about vernacular architecture, and to be honest enjoying the research far more than the actual doing.


The UK, just like any other nation is chock-a-block with so many wonderful examples of traditional architecture that it's so very hard to know where to start, or even stop. I don't see my models as faithful copies, but simply to give a flavour of times past, and that's also because so many buildings are unique and the product of very individual domestic use. To this end it frequently annoys me when I do a drawing, painting, or model, for someone to insist they see the 'original' just to satisfy themselves that a model is 'correct in every detail'. In reality no old building is 'correct', especially timber vernacular structures that are faulty from the start, constructed of unseasoned timbers that will inevitably warp and throw the whole intended 'original' out of true. Also they are subject to constant alteration and repair, so in reality there is perhaps no such thing as an 'original' old building, unless by psychic means it were possible to exactly pin a structure down to a specific date and time. Just try doing that when 99% of the historical data is nowhere to be found, and the subsequent study of archaeologic and social history is basically guesswork! :)


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