Responses to Katherine Rinne - Plumbing Rome

In response to the last blog post on the Katherine Rinne lecture, several students wrote critiques,  assessments, and evaluations regarding the work done and methodologies used throughout her process.

The following are three of the responses:

Beth Mitchell

The Waters of Rome: A Refreshing Methodological Approach

Like others who visit Rome, our guest lecturer Katherine Rinne was drawn to the water that flows through the city’s landscape. It’s easy to see how one would begin a journey looking at these water systems; when the heat is the strongest the picturesque fountains appear around every corner, during the rainy season the flooding Tiber threatens to swallow up the bridges themselves. The more time you spend in the city, the more water begins to define your experience. This could not be more true for Rinne, who has spent the last decade carefully studying the water that, throughout its history, has defined the city of Rome.

The approach that Rinne has taken in studying the network that connects Rome’s baroque fountains feels somewhat unique in scholarship ̶  beginning not with a posed question, but a passionate interest and something of a leap of faith. Water, she explained, is “culturally neutral”, a commodity used the same way by everyone, and why for her, it was an intriguing area of study. That, and the fact that it is impossible to resist being drawn to the stunningly beautiful fountains designed by the same architects responsible for the Baroque city’s sculptural building compositions. In the five hundred years prior to their construction, the abundant water supply that the early Roman emperors brought into the city through ingeniously built aqueducts had fallen into disrepair, and the medieval city of Rome lived mostly without the fresh and free water that had previously filled its fountains and basins. As Rinne’s research has shown, it was the restoration of this water supply that brought about the powerful and influential Rome of the 16^th century and beyond. Her work demonstrates what can be discovered when we disregard preconceived notions, observe with an open mind, and put ourselves directly into the shoes of the historical figures that we study.    

The starting place for Rinne’s study of water began where one trained in architecture naturally would: on the site. In this case, the site in question was the city of Rome. Starting at the northern edge near the Piazza del Popolo, she walked each street carrying her notebook, maps, and a camera. Rinne traced the map of Rome displayed overhead as she described her methods, noting how she weaved her way through the city ̶  the cluttered network of streets forcing her to retrace her steps several times over. Though many scholars have examined the fountains of Rome closely over the years, Katherine Rinne firmly believed that there was something new to discover. What was clear in her talk was the fundamental notion that there is always a new viewpoint you can bring to an area of study. Often in scholarship, as well as design, it feels as if an idea has not only already been done, but done many times over. This notion can leave us without a starting place for our work. What Rinne shows us, is that when we disregard the thought that there is nothing left to explore, our individual interpretations allow us to bring entirely new ideas to the discussion.

In the case of Rinne’s approach, finding the unanswered questions came from patience and careful documentation. Covering the entire city took over three months and each street was captured at three times of the day. Rinne explained that she wasn’t exactly sure what she was looking for, so she recorded everything even slightly related to water. There were photos taken of the fountains- ornamental, drinking, animal, the water in their basins, drains, aqueducts, as well as flood markers, streets named after water features and sewer infrastructure. This non-judgmental and comprehensive view was, for Rinne, crucial in discovering the fundamental ideas behind her research ̶  that through gravity, the water was connected in a system that lay hidden behind the dazzling baroque fountains. This path led her outside of the city, following the aqueducts back to their ancient sources, and to a careful study of Rome’s topography, which included the creation of a map of her own design. Though the idea of gravity and water flow seem obvious, this view of the water as a connected system, which included the fountains of Rome, was an area of study yet to be explored.   

            The key figure in Rinne’s research was the 16^th century architect Giacomo della Porta. Della Porta was responsible not only for restoring the Acqua Vergine, the renamed ancient Acqua Virgo, but also designed the first group of fountains and the water distribution system that became a model for later aqueducts in the city. The daunting task of understanding how della Porta was capable of working out this complex system dependent on the city’s topography, without modern surveying tools, was taken on by imagining the Rome in which he lived. Peeling back the layers of the modern city and visualizing the Rome of della Porta’s time, an era when aqueducts were still out of commission, could not have been an easy task. Through careful observations, as well as archival research, Rinne was able to put herself in the place of a 16^th century architect. With barely any remaining notes or drawings from della Porta, she creatively hypothesized how he was able to take on the task of distributing water to the city.

An important aspect of Rome’s history lies in the fact that the Tiber floods regularly, and prior to the modern walls that currently keep the river at bay, the murky water would flood the city streets. The markers left on buildings show us how high the water levels rose during these floods, and though we might think the traffic congested city of Rome is dirty today, one can only imagine how filthy the streets were in earlier times. Rinne took careful note of this, and observed that with the Tiber regularly spreading through the city, as it would recede, layers of grime would have been left behind on every surface. By imagining what the 16^th century architect could have observed, Rinne envisioned that these layers left over from past floods would have been clearly visible. By noticing that water levels had crested far higher in some areas versus others, della Porta would have had a type of contour map at his disposal, and thus be able to systematically plan a water distribution system that relied on gravity.

Designing a distribution system that brought water from the aqueducts to the fountains across the city, would have taken a lot of advanced planning and careful understanding of how water would flow and reach a state of equilibrium. While the baroque fountain designs brought symbolism and focus to public spaces, behind them lay a carefully planned infrastructure. With the distribution of water, concepts of city planning were brought to Rome, including systems of drainage for run-off, sewers and paved streets. These major changes to the city led to more movement and trade, bringing with it prosperity and prestige for Rome. The influence of Rome’s architecture and planning from this period was far reaching, and Katherine Rinne’s thorough research makes it clear that much of this achievement stemmed from the new system for water distribution that was put in place. From her methods, we can learn the value in keeping an open mind, and the reward that is possible from meticulously following the trail of a passion-filled exploration.

Anna Hong - Rinne Response

 In ancient China, the philosopher Lao Tzu once referred to the void within a cup as the essence of the cup. He observed that space was what made the vessel useful, and that the act of containment was what gave it meaning. This idea has since been applied to architecture; most notably by Frank Lloyd Wright, who used it to describe the true purpose of building – to contain human life.

 Whether intentional or unintentional, architect, Katherine Rinne, pushes against this concept of architecture as space making in her lecture, Plumbing Rome. Her studies are not about walls or spaces, but about what is being contained within the cup, or in this case the city of Rome. While she examines the 3,000-year history of the city’s infrastructure and urban development, as well as conducts a survey of the extensive network of fountains, drains and pipes, Rinne’s investigation is ultimately about the living system that flows within them – water.

 As director of the web-based research project, The Waters of the City of Rome, Rinne has tackled the task of mapping the hydraulic systems of Rome with meticulous, almost obsessive, attention to detail. The focus of her investigation seemingly encompassed any and everything that could possibly have to do with the theme of water: springs, rivers, aqueducts, fountains, drinking spouts, toilets, drains, pipes, flood markers, dog fountains etc. In addition, her four-month sojourn through the streets of Rome, identifying the origin, containment, flow and distribution of water, produced an incredible amount of data on the city’s infrastructure and development, gleaned from personal observations, critical readings, analytical studies and archival research. However (perhaps fortuitously) the results of her study remain fairly open-ended. 

In her lecture, Rinne presented several interesting findings, and theories of her own, but she was also quick to emphasize that the ultimate goal of the project was to create a foundation of evidence upon which other scholars and professionals could establish their own work. Rinne refers to water as the life source of the city, providing both physical and spiritual nourishment to the body and the senses. She also highlights some of the connections that can be made between the readily visible urban layout of the city and the harder to discern flow of water. Aside from a few teasing glimpses into possible research topics, Rinne holds back on offering too many concrete suggestions about how to apply her study. In the end, it is exactly this freedom to interpret, which her project fosters, that makes it so significant. 

Rinne intends for her project to be used as a design tool for students and professionals in the field of architecture, but the study also opens doors for scholars in other fields such as civil engineering, geoscience and history, just to name a few. Research in these other fields could possibly include a socio-political study of class hierarchies that governed water circulation, an economic study of water as commodity, or a mechanical study of hydrodynamics. The straightforward presentation of her study lends itself to multiple interpretations; the GIS data mapping, especially, allows users to easily assess her findings and reach their own conclusions. One of the most interesting facets of the Waters project is the development of a complex narrative structure that interweaves the story of water, with the cultural, political and social histories of the city. Not only does Rinne’s project help redefine our understanding of urban landscapes, but it also serves to expand the scope of architectural inquiry beyond the study of material structures and spaces. In this instance, it is not the physical form that defines the cup, nor is it the space within. Rather, the value of the cup is determined by what it contains. In the case of Rinne, this would be the water that runs through Rome, bringing together various narratives of the city, giving life and meaning to its built environment.

Blake McDonald - "Plumbing Rome" Blog Post

 In the lecture “Plumbing Rome,” Katherine Rinne narrated her ongoing investigation of the interconnection between Rome’s public water system and the city’s physical growth. Rinne illustrates Rome as a city built upon a culture of water, from the centrality of the Tiber River and the baths of the ancient Romans to the public drinking fountains and decorative cascades that form the basis of her research. Unlike previous studies of Roman fountains as purely aesthetic objects, Rinne seeks to reveal the scientific, social, and political mechanisms that brought water into the city, tracing channels from source to distribution.

Rinne’s lecture began with a description of medieval Rome, where the ancient aqueducts had all but crumbled and the majority of the city relied on private water sellers. With the return of the popes from Avignon the aqueducts were slowly rehabilitated, and the revived flow allowed for the construction of a network of fountains both monumental and minute. Rinne focused her attention on Giacomo Della Porta, an architect whose illustrious building career was preceded by his integral role in the reconstruction of the Acqua Vergine and his design of several of Rome’s most well known fountains. Della Porta’s work allowed for what Rinne describes as a cleansing and rebirth of the city as “a place of plentiful water and life.” Rinne also expressed how the forms of the architect’s fountains prefigured his later architectural practices, and the locations of the fountains themselves drove speculative development. In these ways, Rinne illustrated the fountains as more than the civic features, but as vital engines to the health, growth, and artistic progress.

Perhaps the most fascinating part of the project is how Rinne undertook her survey of the city’s constructed water features. Armed with several historic maps and a modern tax atlas, Rinne spent nine months walking each street in city’s core, recording fountains, drains, flood markers, and anything else that seemed associated with urban water systems. Rinne told how, not knowing precisely what she wished to do with the findings of her survey, she not only sketched and measured each site but also photographed the sprays and pattern that the water made in each fountain. The result was not only a deep understanding of extant water infrastructure on Rome’s streets, but also the ability to create pictographic depictions of how the linear conduits emanating from each of the city’s three water sources produced different types of fountains. Equally compelling was Rinne’s method of producing a topographic map of Rome to gauge which fountains had been built at higher elevations, which she achieved by measuring the height of flood markers from the same event in different locations around the city. Through these endeavors, Rinne was able to put herself into the mindset of Giacomo Della Porta and begin understanding the city’s fountains as fixed to and physically formed by the contours of Rome.

            Rinne’s work on the waters of Rome is inspiring in a number of ways, not least of which is her persistence and ingenuity in determining how to represent and connect complex and often invisible infrastructures. Her work helps us to understand Rome not as a series of historical sights and monuments, but as a complicated feat of engineering, connecting each neighborhood and tying the city to the surrounding geography. Moreover, Rinne’s ongoing research shows that even subjects of past historical analysis will continue to yield compelling insight when looked with fresh eyes and an open mind.