Function Vs Beauty

 Relation between Baraka and the Syllabus

Upon watching the entirety of Baraka and rereading Intro to architecture syllabus, I can see that they both display this sense of opposites within each other. Let me explain further, In both works, there is a side with a more orderly form, a more organized and sort of mechanical illustration of something, functional. While on the other side, there’s a display of fun, tradition and pleasure in the actions or crafts shown off. These mean that both works prove and contradict each other, function vs. beauty or pleasure.

Function, something made with no regard for beauty or how aesthetically pleasing it is, it is only made to work. In the film, this can be seen in the scenes where there is labor, where there are factories with an impeccable automation system or labor camps with millions of people who are working like machines. In the reading, it talks about function, Again how and why something is made, usually in an orderly sequence. When watching and reading, there is a sense of monochromatism, the factories look eerily clean and silver with no sense of beauty, which if you hadn't noticed, is the definition of function, to be made for a purpose and that purpose only.

Crafts, something made with no regard for function, it is a work of art to be admired and awed. In the film, the landscapes between all the different tribes and cultures is just astounding, also, the weird traditions each culture has it something I’d consider to be admirable. In the reading, it defines that crafts is the opposite of function, it’s made to be beautiful, it doesn’t have an immediate purpose, its just for fun and pleasure. I'm not saying that various cultures' traditions have no point, insure they do but from a n outsiders standpoint, it's just such a sight to see, to see the dedication and rhythm and routine, it’s a certain type of craft.

Once more, the film and reading both complement and contradict each other beautifully. But my point in all this is that it’s not a case between beauty or function. It’s the ability to be able to balance them. As the syllabus stated, function without a lil bit of fun is draining and fun without function is just not productive. There has to be a symphony of function and fun for there to be balance and a well rounded, working and beautiful purpose