Architectural Analysis

Part 1: When I was thinking about what artifact I was going to choose I was thinking of places that were popular but didn’t have a special meaning to me. After about 10 minutes of research, I finally came up with the artifact(s) I wanted to analyze. I decided to focus on the holidays in New York City. Since I was little I’ve gone to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade every year, but until recently I’ve decided to switch it up and go for Christmas instead. My Mother always wanted to see the window decorations in all the department stores in Manhattan before we would leave for Virginia. It became a special memory for us mainly because the window decorations changed every year. I blended the four department stores holiday decorations and focused on “Christmas in New York.”

Part 2: Whenever I go to New York I feel so inspired and I leave feeling like I can do anything in the world. I’ve been to New York over 20 times and I never want to leave mainly because of the happiness the city brings me. Being in New York anytime from Thanksgiving to Christmas is very magical. It brings a sense of what New York means to me, and what New York represents. Frank Sinatra said “If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.” People come to New York to fulfill their dreams and it’s like a fantasy for some people

Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, and Bergdorf Goodman’s are the four most popular department stores in New York City. Every year for the holidays those four department stores decorate the windows that are located on the front of each of the four buildings. Sklair wrote that in order for a building or structure to be iconic it must be famous and have meaning (Bello & Brandau, 2013). All four buildings are famous and have different meanings for people from all walks of life. Over a million people see what’s in the windows at these department stores every week. (Miele, 2013). Bergdorf Goodman’s window dresser David Huey said “I want people to look at the window decorations as art, and feel as if they are hallucinating (Miele, 2013).” Millions of dollars are spent on the various window decorations and carry a different theme every year. These four departments in New York City focus mainly on visuals. People gather from all over the world to see the glitz and glam going on in the large windows of these famous department stores. Each window tells a story and can remind us of people, places, and events that can stimulate an emotional response. The windows remind me of my mother taking me to New York every year, and the memories we have together. These famous windows also reflect indexicality because the windows are decorated for events that have taken place in the past. After September 11 happened, the four departments stores mentioned above decorate their windows as a memorial. Remembering an event such as 9/11 is meaningful, especially for the people in New York. These windows may not seem like a big deal for each one tells a story and can persuade people in different ways. The fact that the windows are always changing keeps me coming back. The glitz and glam make me feel like I’m living in a dream- The American Dream. Knowing the history of the stores makes me strive for success so that I can one day purchase items from these stores, and not just view the windows. I asked my Mom what the windows mean to her and she said, “They remind me of the 50’s and the good times, when the holidays were about family.” I will forever hold the memories that I have built with my Mom during our trips to New York.

http://eabdesigns.typepad.com/.a/6a0105349b1e5c970b019b02c3fef4970d-pi (Links to an external site.)

https://media.timeout.com/images/102957810/image.jpg (Links to an external site.)

http://a1.files.fashionista.com/image/upload/c_fit,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,h_1200,q_80,w_1200/MTE4MDAzNDE2NTU4MzA2ODMw.jpg (Links to an external site.)

https://cbsnewyork.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/458928480_8.jpg?w=594 (Links to an external site.)

References

Bello, R., & Brandau-Brown, F. (2011). City as message: A case study of visual persuasion in Washington, D.C. International Journal Of The Arts In Society, 5(5), 315-322.

Gass, Robert. & Seiter, John. (2014). Persuasion, Social Influence and Compliance Gaining.(5th ed). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. ISBN: 9780205912964

Miele, M. (Director). (2013). Scatter my ashes at Bergdorf's [Motion picture on DVD]. Entertainment One.

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