A LINEAR VIEW

"An active line limited to its movements by fixed points"

Paul Klee, Pedological Sketchbook

The scope of this study, tries to explain the definition of a line within a city plan and its influences in the process of spatial organisation and perception. In doing this, two different city typologies: Brasilia, the capital city of Brazil, and Glasgow a city in Scotland, are drawn, dissected and montaged together through the analysation of lines and the eye.

The study tries to reveal the direct and primary effects of a line, how a line controls movement, perception and impacts a city, specifically investigating lines through the arrangement of an axis and a grid plan. All of the explanations are aimed to be enriched with the relevant examples to justify the conceptual statements, interrogating the question; how do lines alter perception of a city?

The findings of the analysis conclude that the use of a line (which is used everywhere) holds diverse meaning and is interpreted differently in parallel with the social, economic and cultural characteristics of the plan it belongs to. For this reason, the line is fundamental in the view of a city.

This exhibition communicates the montage of city plans creating Grasilia. Through seizing fragments of the Brasilia map into a grid impression, it expresses my own interpretation of ‘A Linear View’ and captures it into model. The demonstration of the model embraces perception, as your view from above shows a plan but as your orientation changes, the lines segregate becoming almost unseen, responding to the thesis questioning lines controlling perception.