The Meaning and Experience of PlaceShah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in loving memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. But the monument also represented the King's desire for order and harmony, beauty and perfection. The Taj Mahal is an impressive structure partly because these ideas are supported visually by elements of size, proportion and decoration that are refinements of many centuries of architectural tradition in India. But there is more to the Taj Mahal than that. The message of the Taj is most powerful when one is physically there. It is a perfect example of architecture as a multi-sensory art form that is both very abstract and very concrete.In this lesson, students will explore a sense of place by considering three things:
1) the abstract ideas represented by a place
2) the concrete demonstration of these ideas in architectural elements
3) the sensory experience of being in a place and the way that experience enhances the understanding of its significance.
Students will write observational narratives about a place of their own choosing or invention, including detailed descriptions of the structure which represent the abstract ideas they would like to convey. This lesson will help students practice and increase higher-order thinking skills. It will lead students to investigate the following Life-long Learning
Question: What does the experience of a place tell us about ourselves and our values?
Grade Level: Middle to High SchoolSubject Areas: Visual Arts, Social Studies, Language ArtsLesson Length: one or two class periods
Grade Level: Middle to High SchoolSubject Areas: Visual Arts, Social Studies, Language ArtsLesson Length: one or two class periods
SOURCE:http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/a_nav/ed_nav/level_1/ed_taj_frm.html
