 9 Jan 2007 @ 12:58, by Nulah Sassoon
An Idea discussed at a conference in Vienna, at the MAK-Austrio Museum
linkhttp://www.mak.at/e/jetzt/f_jetzt.htm
in the early 1990's. Now almost 12 years on, the question still pertains, and continues without a solution on offer.
Effectively, owing to almost total personal liberalisation within any known culture or tradition, our experiences are lived for us somewhere in the media, and this now is the lingua franca and has to be, and can be, the only commonality serving as a basis for communication. For between client and architect it is imperative that some exchange of meaning takes place in order to provide a brief for the clients expected needs to be fulfilled in the commissioning of a building.
By a consensus of well known, amongst the schools at least, architects, asked to ponder the dilemma posed by this question and offer a solution, it was agreed that they could find no solution and yes, Architecture in sense had ended. Elvis has left the building.
Several situations contrive simultaneously to achieve this Ending. The Emperor Clothes have been seen for what they are. Modern architecture is not aimed at an acknowledged notion of the individual through the provision of a precise diversity, but rather reflects the individuality of the designers in ad hoc diversity. The designers have been encouraged by politicians who realise that Avant Garde can give one impression while fulfilling quite another for the conglomerate or political body manipulating. They know it is the current linqua franca, and these emperors clothes are all the rage, so it is excellent to be seen to flash them about whilst achieving quite other results for themselves. Win Win.
On the other hand prescriptive designs, techological masperpieces in environmental, ergonomic, intelligent thinking buildings are excellent equations for the Nightmare Metropolis dehumanised existences of nothing but drugdery.
The impasse has been created for both architect and people with an idea for nice places in achieving what each would like in the gain of similtaneous happiness. Of course this does occur sometimes, even now, but the eventual successes when seen could be agreed to have happened or brought about by some accident. Is there some message here, waiting to be received, about trying to organise our lives? and that we are not perhaps the ultimate in beings yet?
NSR
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