Falling water is a famous house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Kaufmann’s. It was a weekend home; the main premise was they loved waterfalls and would like to be part of it. I think just the idea of it was very romantic and maybe that was what magically pulled and drew to the building. I have heard about it in bits and pieces everywhere. The first time I have heard of it was when we were studying for JLPT at my friend’s office and he had a black mug with a red inside, inscribed on the black side was “Falling water” under a few perpendicular lines which looked like the # key. I have also heard about it recently in history class where Frank Lloyd Wright’s brilliance and temperament were described in depth. He was definitely a colorful character with many stories, I was mostly interested in the ukiyoe (Japanese woodblock prints) collection he treasured. Falling water’s structural and composition influences from woodblock paintings are obvious.
It was a rainy day when we were there; we had to use the green umbrellas the organization provided us- no colorful rainbow umbrellas or printed umbrellas were allowed. Perhaps they were distracting and took away from the piece although it was probably for more pragmatic reasons. Entering the house, we noticed how low the ceiling was, how soundproof the windows were, just a small opening of one of the many windows would allow the sound of the streams to enter the room. The furniture were designed for the space, the view was not to be blocked and there was a theme of rock formations and horizontal space Wright would display over and over again.
Honestly, I think the pictures at night on the website look different than the actual structure. When I was there, I was overwhelmed with the sense of serenity from the flow of water, I wish I could enjoy the place more by experiencing and sitting there as it was meant to be, instead of just a tour (I am sure if you pay x amount of money, you could). I admire the consistency of the theme, horizontal visualization and the idea of a house built on a waterfall. To me, it represented an idea similar to a castle in the sky. I think to see the age of the structure and to know it’s imperfect gave it depth. We are all imperfect in our own ways but it doesn’t make us less- it makes us human. Instead of perfectly kept (I wonder if that’s even possible, given the humidity and other environmental factors), it showed that things would eventually succumb and change to natural elements even if the creator or designer was insistent on the minuscule details of the work and tried to control those elements. It’s as though the work itself has a life of its own that will manifest through time. I am sure the foundation did a lot of renovation and maintenance to help slow down the process or restore what was lost, but if you look closely at the beige color on the exterior, it is peeling away, the railing is not the burgundy it once was. And that’s okay. That also makes it beautiful in its own way.
nanansa 