Climate Change and Stained Glass Windows

Le Mans Cathedral, full-colored windows

Tours Cathedral, full-colored windows

Cologne Cathedral, grisaille windows

Last week I was in San Francisco attending the annual convention of the American Geophysical Union.  Every day was filled with cutting-edge climate science presentations, none of which had anything to do with Arts and Crafts or William Morris---until I came across the work of graduate student Christopher Simmons!  Simmons has visited many of the great cathedrals of Europe measuring light transmission through stained glass windows.  He has documented how a shift in the color choices used in stained glass windows, the "Grisaille Revolution", paralleled a shift to wetter and cloudier climates in Europe at the end of the 13th century.  He hypothesizes that "climate changes operating in tandem with trends in aesthetic tastes likely motivated a permanent shift in architectural daylighting strategy" and with transmissivity data collected using a Extech 407026 illuminance meter and a Canon Digital Rebel XTi SLR camera, Simmons demonstrated how "grisaille" windows let in much more light, especially on cloudy days (see pics above).

As Simmons concludes, with a minimum of scientific jargon, "this has important implications for understanding thresholds between climate and architectural design, an increasingly important concern as we undergo a period of rapid climate change."

 LeMans, detail

Tours, detail

Cologne detail

Some more examples of grisailles......

 

Grisailles: A term that applies generally to stained glass windows that are kept predominately white.

Dan Phillips - Lord of the Trash

Recycled frame samples ceiling (photo from Michael Stravato, New York Times)

 

Recycled cork floor (photo from Michael Stravato, New York Times)

 

Recycled shingle roof  (photo from Michael Stravato, New York Times)

 

Mosaic (photo from Phoenix Commotion)

 

Balusters (photo from Phoenix Commotion)

Tray windows (photo from Phoenix Commotion)

Tree house kitchen counter (photo from Phoenix Commotion)

Mr. Phillips has built 14 houses that he estimates are composed of ~80% salvaged material.  The goal of his Texas company, Phoenix Commotion, is to provide affordable low-income housing while reducing the huge flux of wasted material to landfills.   The New York Times wrote a wonderful profile of him last September that is inspiring to read.  Also, check out the slide show and his web site for more photographs of his work.

William Morris and the Private Press Movement

 William Morris, The well at the world’s end (Printed by Kelmscott Press, 1896)

 

  A Book of Verse, 1870

A Book of Verse, 1870

 

The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, Printed by Kelmscott Press, 1896

 

Odes of Horace, 1874

   

 

"The Nature of Gothic" By John Ruskin Printed by Kelmscott Press, 1892

 A Book of Verse, 1870

Morris must have had some extra time on his hands in 1890 so he decided to found yet another movement -- the Private Press Movement.  Private Press refers to books manufactured with traditional methods of printing and binding with the goal of producing a book that not only conveys information but is also a work of art.  Art and craft as one.  Morris founded Kelmscott Press to realize his vision of books as works of art, producing more than 18,000 copies of 53 different works between 1891 and 1898.

Here is a link to a wonderful on-line archive of Morris book pages/illustrations curated by Dr. Florence Boos of the University of Iowa.  She is currently President of the William Morris Society in the U.S. which definitely qualifies her as a fan!

William Morris Wallpaper - less well-known patterns

Wreath, 1876

Scroll, 1872

Rose, 1877

Hammersmith, 1890

Autumn Leaves, 1888

Branch, 1872

 Diaper, 1870

Michael Peterson: Evolution | Revolution

 

Coastal Stack IV, 2008

 

?

 Coastal Stack V, 2008

 

 Teardrop, 1987

From the San Francisco Museum of Craft+Design: "Michael Peterson's poetic wood sculptures are deeply inspired by his environment in the Pacific Northwest.  This exhibit follows the artist's unique trajectory from his early works to his most current organic abstract forms realized through the mastery of the chainsaw."

I like the idea of someone whose artistic vision was enhanced through mastery of a chainsaw.

Amish Quilts at the de Young Museum

 

 The exhibit catalog

After all the glitz of King Tut it was great to go upstairs for a little "comfort" art -- almost fifty Amish quilts from the late 19th and early 20th century.  Like in the Tut exhibit, I was again struck by how modern these pieces looked even though some were over a hundred years old.  This special exhibition is titled "Amish Abstractions: Quilts from the Collection of Faith and Stephen Brown" and it will be on display until June 6, 2010.  Great gift shop stuff!

Everywhere the Glint of Gold

"strange animals, statues and gold—everywhere the glint of gold."   Archeologist Howard Carter, describing his discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922.

This past Sunday I visited the de Young Museum in San Francisco where I saw the King Tut exhibit.  It was fantastic!  The treasures found in his tomb included many pieces of his household furniture, made around 1350 B.C.  Check out the imitation leopard skin campaign stool with the swan legs---too cool.

 Tutankhamun's Throne

 Cabinet with Hieroglyphic Fretwork

Royal bed

Imitation Leopard Skin Stool

Hope Chest 

Cow Mehetweret Bed Couch

Another stool

The tomb

Smash the Bourgeoisie! Victory to the Decorating Business!

 Green Engineering Object (2001)

Big Red Propeller (2001)

Transitional Monument (2004)

Artist David Mabb is described as having a posthumous collaboration with William Morris.  Mabb isn't just inspired by Morris, he incorporates Morris's work into his own.  From the on-line archives of the Victorian and Albert Museum:  "Mabb’s interest in Morris focuses not only on the design of his patterns but also the inherent contradictions between Morris’s political beliefs – he was a campaigning Socialist - and his practice as a designer and business-man – he made his living creating luxury goods that were affordable only by the upper middle-classes."

 Morris/Fruit, Rodchenko/Triple Peaks (2006)

Morris/Honeysuckle, Rodchenko/Hard Currency

  Here Mabb combines the "political philosophies and design practices" of two artists, Morris and Rodchenko, who each produced designs intended to enhance the lives of the working class.  The irony of course is that the machine-made designs of Rodchenko were far more accessible to the working class than the painstakingly hand-printed wallpapers of Morris.

More information on Mabb, and many more examples of his work, can be found on the Leo Kamen Gallery website and on the Contemporary Art Society website (a nice slideshow).  The title of this post is taken from one of Mabb's exhibitions.

12/14:  More photos of Mabb's amazing work can be found here.