Are drawings dead? …and performance over aesthetics?

When the act of 'drawing' became what can only be called formalised, (whose growth can be said to have blossomed during the Renaissance), there developed a separation between the drawing and its procurement. Recently, David Ross Scheer, in his book ‘The Death of Drawing, Architecture in the Age of Simulation’ wrote: ‘…whereas architectural drawings exist to represent construction, architectural simulations exist to anticipate building performance.’ Meanwhile, Paolo Belardi, in his work ‘Why Architects Still Draw’ likens a drawing to an acorn, where he says: ‘It is the paradox of the acorn: a project emerges from a drawing – even from a sketch, rough and inchoate - just as an oak tree emerges from an acorn.’ He tells us that Giorgio Vasari would work late at night ‘seeking to solve the problems of perspective’ and he makes a passionate plea that this reflective process allows the concept to evolve, grow and/or develop. However, without belittling Belardi, the virtual model now needs this self-same treatment where it is nurtured, coaxed and encouraged to be the inchoate blueprint of the resultant oak tree. The model now too can embrace the creative process going through the first phase of preparation, where it focuses on the problem. The manipulation of the available material can then be incubated so that it is reasoned and generates feedback. This paper serves to align this shift in perception, methodologies and assess whether the 2D paper abstraction still has a purpose and role in today’s digital world!

Cambridge, England, 1574 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper view entitled: Cantebrigia : opulentissimi Angliae Regni urbs celeberrimi nominis ab Academiae conditore Cantabro cognominata a granta fluuio vicino cairgrant saxonib Grauntecestre et Grantebrige iam olim nuncupata. It was published by George Braun & Franz Hogenberg in 1584. Scale [ca. 1:3,600]. Covers Cambridge, England. Map in Latin and English. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the British National Grid coordinate system (British National Grid, Airy Spheroid OSGB (1936) Datum). All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as roads, drainage, built-up areas and selected buildings pictorially, ground cover, and more. Relief shown pictorially. Includes index. This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from The Harvard Map Collection as part of the Imaging the Urban Environment project. Maps selected for this project represent major urban areas and cities of the world, at various time periods. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features at a large scale. The selection represents a range of regions, originators, ground condition dates, scales, and purposes.

Cambridge, England, 1574 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Oppidvm Cantebrigiae, Ric. Lyne, sculpsit. It was published by in 1574. Scale [ca. 1:3,800]. Covers University of Cambridge and surroundings. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the British National Grid coordinate system (British National Grid, Airy Spheroid OSGB (1936) Datum). All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as roads, drainage, ground cover, pictorial buildings, and more. Relief shown pictorially. This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from The Harvard Map Collection as part of the Imaging the Urban Environment project. Maps selected for this project represent major urban areas and cities of the world, at various time periods. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features at a large scale. The selection represents a range of regions, originators, ground condition dates, scales, and purposes.

S.T George [ [Material gráfico]= San Giorgio

Inscripción en la parte superior de la imagen: "Tavola 671". Inscripción en el ángulo inferior derecho: "55"

S.T George [Material gráfico] = San Giorgio

Inscripción en la parte superior de la imagen: "Tavola 681". Inscripción en el ángulo inferior derecho: "63"

Die ehemalige Büchersammlung Ludwigs Grafen zu Stollberg (geb. 1505 +1574) in Königstein und Mittheilungen zur Deutschen Volksdichtung aus einer dorther nach Wernigerade gelangten Handschrift /

Mode of access: Internet.

Notizie della chiesa della SSma. Trinità di Magione in Palermo : e del S. R. M. Ordine Costantiniano di S. Giorgio in Sicilia cui essa chiesa appartiene /

Mode of access: Internet.

Il Banco di San Giorgio; l'antico debito pubblico genovese e la Casa di S. Giorgio. La marina di Genova. S. Giorgio e i possedimenti coloniali e di terraferma. Il palazzo della società e le sue dipendenze;

Preface signed: Il presidente del Consorzio Nino Ronco.

Histoire ecclésiastique : pour servir de continuation à celle de M. lAbbè Fleury : tome vingt-troisieme, depuis lan 1563, jusquà lan 1574.

Mode of access: Internet.

Le rime di messer Francesco Petrarca. Ed. formata sopra quella di Rovillio del 1574, con aggiunte indicate nel seguente avviso.

"Vita di messer Francesco Petrarca": v. 1, p. i-xxviii.

La fenomenologia dello spirito di Giorgio G. F. Hegel,

Translation of Phänomenologie des Geistes.

Auertimenti nelle compositioni de'medicamenti per vso della spetiaria, con una diligente esaminatione di molti simplici, tratta da piu degni auttori, con tauole vtilissime per piu chiara intelligenza di tutta l'opera, di Giorgio Melichio ... : aggiuntoui un Trattato delle mirabili virtu della theriaca, dell'eccellentissimo signo Orazio Guarguanti

Mode of access: Internet.