Richard Chenoweth AIA
about
U. S. Capitol visualizations
www.nanopix.net
stock film
overview
My research on the U. S. Capitol began in 2001 under the auspices of a Fellowship from the U. S. Capitol Historical Society. I was very intrigued by the exchange of letters between President Thomas Jefferson and his Surveyor of Public Works Benjamin Henry Latrobe. At the time, the Capitol was the largest, most ambitious and most controversial building project on American soil. It had been underway since 1793, but in that short time had been encumbered by poor planning, shoddy workmanship and fierce political battles over the very nature of what a legislative house in a free democratic republic should even look like. In 1803, Latrobe inherited the project.
Through his genius as America's first professional architect as well as his genius as an accomplished engineer, Latrobe made the Capitol buildable. By his powerful and clear aesthetic vision, he made the chambers into modern and geometrically powerful spaces within the Baroque exterior shell he inherited from the original design of William Thornton. Within the Capitol, Latrobe introduced Greek Revival architecture to America. And by his planning, he helped to create a physical place for the American system of government that was still inchoate.
In their voluminous exchange of letters, Jefferson, who with heavy hand encouraged Latrobe's efforts, wrote that the incipient Hall of Representatives would be the, " ... most beautiful room in the world." The Hall, referred to by Latrobe as the Hall of the People, was largely complete by 1808.
But the Capitol was burned by invading British troops in August 1814 and no pictorial record of it exists. All that remains marking this era are some of his original construction drawings in the Library of Congress, notes, letters, and written descriptions. The goal of my Fellowship was very simple: to see for myself if Latrobe's Hall of the People really was the most beautiful room in the world.
my work
I am analyzing the Capitol through digital reconstruction. As a graphic architectural history and new media presentation, my two major results will be bothperceptual and analytical. One immediate venue for my work will be a documentary movie on Latrobe sponsored by the NEH and to be produced by Kunhardt Productions and WETA (Washington). The Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division has expressed interest in eventually having my computer model of the 1814 Capitol.
My computer model is ongoing. My reconstruction of the building is based on Latrobe's drawings, some extant structure in the Capitol, notes and letters from various participants in the project, and historical sources cited by both Latrobe and Jefferson. This model will be imported to a rendering and animating program to create realistic historical surfaces within an environment of real world (high dynanmic range) lighting, and to create camera movements and special effects. I will be able to tell many stories of the building of the Capitol through these and other visual means.
funding opportunities
I am currently seeking sponsorship to help complete this project. I received my Capitol Fellowship seven years ago for primary research and have been working on the project without funding since then. Please contact me if you are interested in sponsorship. At this point, I can promise the standard PBS acknowledgement on screen for the full time alloted, which I believe may be five seconds. The movie will be rendered in High Definition and is anticipated to run often. Also, new media presentations I create may be permanently exhibited in the new U. S. Capitol's Visitor's Center. The value of sponsorship acknowledgement for a permanent exhibit such as this would be phenomenal.
architectural assistance
If you are interested in assisting on this exciting project please contact me. I can use help modeling, rendering, lighting as well as many other aspects of production. I can offer screen credit at this point, and with funding, I could offer compensation on a consultant basis. Expertise in the following programs would be of enormous benefit: FormZ Modeler, Electric Image Animator, Photoshop CS2, and After Effects CS3, among many others.
engineering assistance
If you are interested in assisting on this exciting project please contact me. I can use help on many aspects of production, including HDR lighting, video production, and structural analysis of historic stone structures. I can offer screen credit at this point, and with funding, I could offer compensation on a consultant basis.
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