Stairs & Staircases

Relativity

Relativity (December 1953), is a very famous lithograph print (a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface) by the Dutch artist Maurits Cornelis Escher (17 June 1898 – 27 March 1972). The artwork consists of a series of staircases that are optical illusions and at first glance just look like regular stairs but when the viewer more closely examines the artwork, realizes that the angles that the staircases are at is not possible in the physical world. It depicts a world in which the normal laws of gravity do not apply.

Size

The artwork is relatively small (only 22.7cm x 29.2cm), however within this small artwork Escher has enraptured an incredible amount of detail about of this alternate world without laws of gravity.

Source of Gravity (the illusion)

In the world of Relativity, there are actually three sources of gravity depicted within the same space, each being perpendicular to the two others. This is what causes the optical illusion.

The structure has three stairways, and each stairway can be used by people who belong to two different gravity sources. Some inhabitants are depicted as climbing the stairways upside-down, but based on their own gravity source, they are climbing normally.

Escher’s style

Most of Escher’s work was mathematically inspired (although he did not have mathematical training, however, his understanding of mathematics was largely visual and intuitive) and many contained impossible constructions and explorations of infinity.

The Potemkin Staircase is a famous staircase situated in Odessa, Ukraine.  They are the most famous symbol of Odessa and act as a formal entrance into the city.

The staircase is constructed in such as manner that it narrows as it goes up (the bottom step is 21.7m wide and the stop step is 12.5 meters wide). This method of construction creates an optical illusion that give the staircase the impression that they are considerably longer than they really are and also helps to  give a more majestic focal to the top. It is also created so that there is an optical illusion where by a person standing at the top of the stairs looking down can only see the landing at the bottom of the stairs (and not the stairs themselves) while a person standing at the bottom can only see the stairs (and not the landing at the top).

Reason for construction

Odessa is situated on a high steppe plateau. There was a long winding path that led from the city to the harbor, however it got to a time where the people who lived in Odessa really needed a direct access route to the harbor which is located below it; thus a grand staircase was designed and constructed.

Steps vs staircases

English is a complex language that uses many similar words for almost the same thing. What do we actually mean when we use the terms ’staircase’ or ’stairs’ or ’steps’? Is there a difference? The word ’step’ in this context means a rest for the foot in ascending or descending, though in other contexts can refer to the movement of the foot in walking, the sound or manner of a particular gait, or even the pace of walking- whether a march or a stroll.

The term ’stairs’ developed by 1398, a plural of ’stair’ which is derived from several Old English and Germanic words including staeger (a flight of steps or a single step), stigan (to climb) and steig (path). The term ’staircase’ was used from 1624 onwards to refer to the enclosure of the stairs, while ’stairway’ developed from 1767. Today a staircase or stairway refers mainly to a way of access upward or downward consisting of a set of steps.

Staircase Design

Staircase design has evolved over time just as the usage of the actual terms has. From ancient and medieval uses through architectural periods such as the Baroque, Renaissance, Georgian, Victorian, Federation and Edwardian eras. These eras have styles that are very established and hard to innovate with. However modern and even post-modern staircase design can be very creative and unusual – from the shapes used, the contrast of different materials not traditionally seen together, as well as completely new materials that are being developed.

Firstly, however, let’s go through some of the history of staircase design…starting with when the periods mentioned above actually took place and where. Here is a quick overview of some of the earlier periods:

• Classical: 850 – 476 AD (Greek and Roman styles)
• Medieval: 373 – 500 AD (Byzantine inspired European architecture)
• Romanesque: 500 -1200 AD (Roman revival)
• Gothic: 1100- 1450 AD
• Renaissance: 1400 – 1600 AD (classical revival)
• Baroque: 1600 – 1830 AD