2. Significance of trees
The Hollyhock House is surrounded by trees. Directly by the
house are a bunch of pine trees, all in rows. The hard inner
core of trees represents matter, which stands for
motherhood, maternity, and fertility. These were things
worshipped by the ancient world.
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh and Enkidu steal trees
from a sacred forest that is forbidden to mortals.
3. Tree outside of the Hollyhock House Tree in Serepiqui de Heredia, CR
4. Modern day celebrity homes
Even today, celebrities and the rich and
famous have the urge to create extravagant
homes. With this comes the desire to show
off these homes. Aline Barnsdall created a
grandiose house on a hill to show it off. Now,
celebrities have many more outlets to put
their cribs on display.
http://youtu.be/VlDpOr0ryLo
5. The Hollyhock House sits atop a naturally steep hill overlooking the city.
The Sumerians build their Ziggurats upon a steep platform that serves as a
“faux hill” type of façade that gives it the illusion of being on top of a
mountain. This steepness gave it grandness and the feeling of being closer
to the gods due to the exaggerated height and view of the city below that
can be seen once you have reached the top of the Ziggurat.
6. From the southern façade of the Hollyhock House you can see the bent
axis design that mimics the design of the Sumerian Ziggurats where
you are unable to see the entrance to the structure from the beginning
of the path. This gives the person the feeling of the unknown of what
lies ahead, or a mystical approach when entering the building.
7. Dining room & Hall off Music room also off
the front entrance. the front entrance.
Upon entering the Hollyhock House you do not end up in a
particular room such as a living room, but are left with a myriad
of choices of rooms to choose from. It almost feels like you are
entering a cave when coming through the entrance (contraction)
with various mini caves that open up (expansion) once you have
stepped inside.
8. An artist’s rendering of the glory of Ancient
Sumeria with a Ziggurat in the background.
9. Like the arched doorways
of the Sumerian Temple, the
Hollyhock house is intended
to be awe-inspiring.
It’s extensiveness of the
hallway suggests that the
door that one is about to go
through leads to something
important. At the same time,
the presence of walls gives it
a quasi-inside feeling. Two
double doors flanked by
large, shiny handles,
suggesting opulence.
10. InDa Vinci’s Mona Lisa, dark
and hazy trees and land
blend in with the only a few
lighter areas, such as the
pond and some areas of the
ground, but overall, the dark
areas are so soft that it gives
those areas a sense of
mystery.
11. Chiaroscuro also serves
the Hollyhock home to
give it an air of mystery
and drama. The dark
areas are created by
naturally dark walls,
which would otherwise
have delineated geometric
shapes in the room, giving
the viewer an impression
of softness and
mysteriousness of the
dark areas surrounding
the lighter ones, like in Da
Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
12. Like the Sumerian temples of
ancient times, the Hollyhock
House has “introverted”, or
feminine, features. The
Hollyhock façade seen
throughout the interior and
exterior of the house is an
introverted feature. Although it
is a stylized representation, the
façade still features the flower,
seed and leaf of the plant.
Plants represent mother nature
and “matter”; the civilized and
feminine.
13. People entering a Sumerian Temple would experience the feeling
of “expansion and contraction”, as seen by the floor plan of the
temple above. The ramp leading up to the cella was open to the
outside and had no limiting features, but then once in the cella, the
space became compressed and confined.
14. Mirroring the Sumerian temple, Frank
Lloyd Wright used “expansion and
contraction” in the Hollyhock House.
The entry doorway begins as an open
walkway, but then becomes more and
more confined with the addition of walls
and screens. Finally at the doors, the
space is very compressed and the
ceiling is just above head height.
15. Once inside the entrance, one
of the myriad of rooms to
choose from is the living room
which opens up (expansion)
one you step through its
doorway. The ceilings go from
low, to arched and tall in the
living room. A visitor to the
Hollyhock House would feel the
same phenomenon of
expansion and contraction in
the Sumerian Temple; going
from the compressed space of
the doorway to the open, large
space of the living room.
16. An Unexpected Modernity
• Outside on the
“Great Lawn” we
found this graffiti
bomb that was
thrown up on the
signage.
• Even something
seemingly far
removed from the
city itself is still
very much
connected to it.
17. Harry Potter VIII : Loss of Innocence
• Once innocent little kids
casted for the best-selling
novel series, Harry Potter.
These little actors were
living the dreams of
millions of children!
18. • Since stardom hit the
cast of Harry Potter, the
three main characters
have been indulging in a
life of excessive luxury,
fame andinfluential
power .
19. Epic of Gilgamesh
VS
Contemporary Life
• Once we have been
exposed to world of
excessive pleasure, it is
difficult not to ask for a
life of vanity, not to
mention going back to
basics…
