BRUNELLESCHI AND MODERN MINDS

Abstract This paper was written using research done online and in the book, Brunelleschis Dome, written by Ross King. The questions answered here are those of Filippo Brunelleschis life and influence on modern design techniques and culture itself. Filippos societal role in 15th century Florence will be compared and contrasted to those roles of modern designers around the world. Focusing on a few designers from Sweden, Markus Persson, Anna Haubt and Terese Alstin, their works and innovations will be put up against the innovations of Brunelleschi. The overall weight of all of these will be seen against a background of the time and place that they came into being. Also discussed will be the contrast between Brunelleschi and other designers of his time, especially Lorenzo Ghiberti. The responsibilities of these two are to be compared, both on the construction of Il Duomo, and other commissions that they received in their lifetimes. The roles of the three Swedish designers will be displayed, as well as Swedens other contributions to design techniques. The issue of gender comes up with the two female designers, as well as location and culture impacting designs. Last, but certainly not least, is Markus Perssons creation and expansion of Minecraft, and its impact on the world. Keywords: Filippo, Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, Persson, il duomo, Haubt, Alstin, Minecraft

BRUNELLESCHI AND MODERN MINDS

In modern society and culture, almost everything we use has been designed by someone. The only exceptions are things that come from nature. Knowing this, the importance of designers in the minds of the public should not be a thing that is taken for granted. Since ancient times people have been designing things to make daily life easier, but also to show off the ingenuity and skill of man. One man who did this almost perfectly was an Italian goldsmith and architect by the name of Filippo Brunelleschi. He designed the dome of the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral in Florence. His role in the society of 15th century Florence would have been one of great importance to everyone in the city, as the new cathedral was planned to be the biggest vaulted dome in the world. To that extent, people should realize that Filippos role in his society was no different to the roles of modern designers in their global society. In the 15th century, the city of Florence in Italy was a hub of prosperity and wealth. The Cloth Merchants Guild and the Wool Guild were the two most powerful groups in the city at the time, and it was the Wool Guild that provided the money for the construction of the cathedral. The Opera del Duomo, an office of works that oversaw the more than 100 years of construction, was usually populated by many members of the Wool Guild. Brunelleschi grew up in a neighborhood not far from the construction site, so its no surprise that it would end up being such a large part of his life. From an early age, Filippo had a knack and a passion for mechanical inventions and solving problems. When he was fifteen, he apprenticed as a goldsmith, which was considered to be a smart choice of profession, as it payed well, but it was not the most popular trade. This was because the furnaces used to melt metals had to burn for days at a time, all the while releasing toxic fumes and harboring a risk of explosions. Once he became a master goldsmith, Filippos career in design and his fame in Florence really began to take off. The contest to design the doors of the San Giovanni Baptistery put him in the attention of the Opera del Duomo, while his loss in said competition pushed him to travel and study the designs of

BRUNELLESCHI AND MODERN MINDS 4 ancient Romans around Italy. For 17 years, Filippo only occasionally and temporarily returned to Florence, focusing more on learning about architecture from the ruins of Rome. In 1418 however, when the Opera announced a competition to design the dome for the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral, Filippo returned to Florence with a purpose. (King, 2000) Filippo ultimately won the contest to design il Duomo, but he faced an enormous challenge in doing so. His design would ultimately follow the ideas of Neri di Fioravanti, who originally planned the dome in 1367. However, Filippo was a daring man and designed his dome to stand on its own without buttresses or a wooden centering. The lack of buttresses was possible with the vaulting technique invented by the Romans, and at the time seen all over Italy. The Pantheon, a cathedral to all the Roman gods, was the largest vaulted dome at the time. Brunelleschis goal was to create a bigger one. And he succeeded in that goal, using many innovative designs that he thought up on his own. The herring-bone system of bricklaying is still probably the most ingenious architectural idea that Filippo came up with to strengthen the dome under its own weight. (King, 2000) Brunelleschi was not the only notable designer of the era, however. Another famous Florentine, as well as Filippos rival, was another goldsmith, Lorenzo Ghiberti. Lorenzo was the man that beat Filippo in the competition to design the bronze doors of the San Giovanni Baptistery. That being their first encounter as adversaries, many more duels in design would arise in their future. Lorenzo would go on to become a well-known name, as it was he who created most of the famous and beautiful sculptures that arose in Florence during the 15th century. However, Lorenzo was also well-known to be late on all of his deadlines, because he accepted far too many commissions at once. This greatly aggravated the Opera del Duomo on multiple occasions, which eventually led them to fire him as a capomaestro on the construction of Santa Marias dome. (King, 2000)

BRUNELLESCHI AND MODERN MINDS 5 Of course, the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore would be nothing without the original idea of Neri di Fioravanti. In 1367, Neri was the man who had the idea to use vaulting for the dome, so as to build it without buttresses. He came up with a design for stone chains that would provide the strength to hold the dome up under its own weight. This design was held sacred in the minds of the Opera for over fifty years, until they needed someone to implement it. (King, 2000) Today, designs come out of every country in the world, and the notable ones get vast amounts of attention from across the globe. While it is clear that men dominated the design industry of Filippos time, and they still hold a major stake in it today, women have become prominent designers equal to men in recent years. Two Swedish women, Anna Haubt and Terese Alstin, recently debuted a video describing their idea for an invisible bike helmet. (Torchinsky, 2013) Over the past week or so, a video has started to go viral across all forms of social media. Links have appeared on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Tumblr and Pinterest for this new idea. The idea is undoubtedly even bigger in Europe, where it got its whole start. This showcases global impact of an idea that came from the minds of two women. And the fact that they are women has nothing to do with its success or controversy. Thats why their role is similar to Filippos, simply on a larger scale. Interestingly enough, the entire country of Sweden seems to attract lots of attention on the front of innovation in designs. Ikea, a Swedish company, is one of the most popular places to buy furniture and other home goods on a relative budget. Their designs are what make them so unique. All of their products are manufactured to be packed as compactly as possible, and the instructions for building them have many helpful pictures to simplify the process. Another notable Swedish designer is a man named Markus Persson, the owner of Mojang and creator of a videogame craze called Minecraft. (Ashdown, 2010) Markus Notch Persson originally released Minecraft as an indev (in-development) computer game for the Windows system. He created the game using Java, which is one of the

BRUNELLESCHI AND MODERN MINDS 6 most basic high-level computer programming languages currently in existence. In 2010 the game reached a beta stage, and by that point had generated a small cult following of a few hundred thousand people. In the course of a year, the game reached a completed stage and was released as a fully finished PC game in late 2011. Since then there has been an iPhone version, and an Xbox 360 version, both released by Mojang, the company that Persson started with some of his friends when Minecraft started getting sales. Notch has become a highly recognizable name all over the world, because nowadays the gaming community includes anyone who plays games on any system, be it their phone, computer, or console. Even those who dont know who he is or havent played the game cant ignore the pop-culture boom that Minecraft has caused. Most people could probably identify a Minecraft related character or image just because they see it around them all the time. Thats how Markus Persson is notable. His role in society as a designer of a popular video game is reminiscent of how recognizable Brunelleschi would have been in 15th century Florence. And similarly to Filippo, Notch had his own issues of near infamy. Last year Mojang announced a new game that they were calling Scrolls, and got a notice of a lawsuit from Bethesda, another game developer. Bethesda claimed that Notch was infringing on their copyrighted Elder Scrolls franchise. There was a lot of pissing about between the two parties, and ultimately Notch came out ahead, and Mojang released Scrolls as a beta earlier this year. So Filippo really isnt too dissimilar from the modern designers that are present in todays society. The scale on which he was known is drastically different to that of present day, due to the internet and modern technology. Without world news and the internet, Minecraft and the invisible bike helmet might not be as noted in their home region of Sweden. So in a way, Brunelleschi was more successfully important because he achieved notability and fame in just his city. Scale put aside though, it is clear that when a product or project comes around that attracts the attention of a population, it is almost irrelevant who designed it. The end result is never judged by its creator, but when the designer is present in and public with their progress,

BRUNELLESCHI AND MODERN MINDS 7 they take on a different role than one of someone designing a set of cutlery, desk chair, or lamp. When it all comes down to it, Filippo Brunelleschi, Markus Persson, Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin are all designers, plain and simple. Their roles in their own respective societies are equal in magnitude, and only different in what they designed, where they designed it, and when.

BRUNELLESCHI AND MODERN MINDS Works Cited Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderlund, L., & Brizee, A. (2010, May 5). General format. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ Ashdown, J. (2010, November 11). This is Minecraft. IGN. Retrieved November 11, 2013, from http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/11/11/this-is-minecraft Hvding.com. Airbag for cyclists. Retrieved November 12, 2013, from http://www.hovding.com/en/ King, R. (2000). Brunelleschi's dome: how a Renaissance genius reinvented architecture. New York: Walker & Co. Torchinsky, J. (2013, November 7). Swedes Develop Invisible Bike Helmet. Jalopnik. Retrieved November 12, 2013, from http://jalopnik.com/swedes-develop-invisible-bikehelmet-1460189477