Thoughts on Koolhaas, Retrospection, Reality, Skyscrapers and Design...
Rem Koolhaas
He is one of the few architectural theoreticians I have understood, to a greater extent, in terms of the references he makes, the metaphors he uses and the picture he is painting. What I also appreciate is the willingness to be in the "grey area" (as Prof. Franco described it) and I think that helps open up the conversation to a wider audience, as is generally with a debate.
Retrospective Manifestos
That we as human beings have the ability to stand back, step outside of our reality (as accepted by our minds) and take an unbiased (well, attempt to keep it unbiased) look at the world and society around so much so that you start seeing patterns in the happenings and start to understand how we are changing is mind-blowing. It at once makes you see the good and the bad... or the grey if you are being non-judgemental (or maybe trying to see the positives and negatives simultaneously) as Koolhaas does.
Fractured reality
Why would we want to experience Florida in Manhattan? Why would anybody enjoy a night beach experience without being able to see the horizon, the beautiful color of the sky and sea and the way the sky and water change with the position of the sun. Anything less than (i.e. electric bathing) is essentially cheating you of that experience. The genius of George Tilyou (creator of Coney Island amusement park) lies in successfully promoting an experience that is essentially fake, however, this fake-ness is packaged to be a positive, an experience one should aspire to have before he/she dies! Once this 'fake' has been accepted by a few, the herd mentality comes into play and suddenly, the novelty of the idea and approval of a few has made it a benchmark of a "good experience". This realization gives me enough motive to question certain things we in our current lifestyle accept as the norm.
Skyscrapers, a collection of disconnected fantasies
A skyscraper as described in the 100-storey building in 'Culture of congestion' describes a lack of context, connection to where we are physically located. It is, in some ways, quite similar to us using our mobiles to stay connected with people in another time zone or region of the world, or us sharing experiences with our friends in another city and conversely, reliving their experiences through their photographs or videos but also desiring to experience the same. This feeling of disconnection and aspiring to be in a fantasy, I fear may soon lead to a feeling of desolation, not in our generation (because I believe we have seen the beginning and growth of the mobile era and hence still have a slight sense of connection to reality) but in generations that follow.
Technology has created this culture of constantly stimulating the mind with activities foreign to our true reality (even the experience of watching blade runner, for that matter and cinema/theatre in general). Reality seems foreign and if fake/virtual reality is sustained for a longer duration, by extension it would lead to a sense of dissatisfaction once faced with the mundane everyday. A feeling of desolation, listlessness will definitely pervade our senses once that point is reached.
Technology has made possible but will also render future generations incapable of accepting the true reality or nature of society and the world we live in. Now, technology is the norm. What happens when the fake reality we have created implodes (if at all?)...?
He is one of the few architectural theoreticians I have understood, to a greater extent, in terms of the references he makes, the metaphors he uses and the picture he is painting. What I also appreciate is the willingness to be in the "grey area" (as Prof. Franco described it) and I think that helps open up the conversation to a wider audience, as is generally with a debate.
Retrospective Manifestos
That we as human beings have the ability to stand back, step outside of our reality (as accepted by our minds) and take an unbiased (well, attempt to keep it unbiased) look at the world and society around so much so that you start seeing patterns in the happenings and start to understand how we are changing is mind-blowing. It at once makes you see the good and the bad... or the grey if you are being non-judgemental (or maybe trying to see the positives and negatives simultaneously) as Koolhaas does.
Fractured reality
Why would we want to experience Florida in Manhattan? Why would anybody enjoy a night beach experience without being able to see the horizon, the beautiful color of the sky and sea and the way the sky and water change with the position of the sun. Anything less than (i.e. electric bathing) is essentially cheating you of that experience. The genius of George Tilyou (creator of Coney Island amusement park) lies in successfully promoting an experience that is essentially fake, however, this fake-ness is packaged to be a positive, an experience one should aspire to have before he/she dies! Once this 'fake' has been accepted by a few, the herd mentality comes into play and suddenly, the novelty of the idea and approval of a few has made it a benchmark of a "good experience". This realization gives me enough motive to question certain things we in our current lifestyle accept as the norm.
Skyscrapers, a collection of disconnected fantasies
A skyscraper as described in the 100-storey building in 'Culture of congestion' describes a lack of context, connection to where we are physically located. It is, in some ways, quite similar to us using our mobiles to stay connected with people in another time zone or region of the world, or us sharing experiences with our friends in another city and conversely, reliving their experiences through their photographs or videos but also desiring to experience the same. This feeling of disconnection and aspiring to be in a fantasy, I fear may soon lead to a feeling of desolation, not in our generation (because I believe we have seen the beginning and growth of the mobile era and hence still have a slight sense of connection to reality) but in generations that follow.
Technology has created this culture of constantly stimulating the mind with activities foreign to our true reality (even the experience of watching blade runner, for that matter and cinema/theatre in general). Reality seems foreign and if fake/virtual reality is sustained for a longer duration, by extension it would lead to a sense of dissatisfaction once faced with the mundane everyday. A feeling of desolation, listlessness will definitely pervade our senses once that point is reached.
Technology has made possible but will also render future generations incapable of accepting the true reality or nature of society and the world we live in. Now, technology is the norm. What happens when the fake reality we have created implodes (if at all?)...?
Design
Our designs today unknowingly take inspiration from the culture of congestion and skyscrapers. it has become our reality in terms of the fabric of metropolitan cities all around the world.
Our designs today unknowingly take inspiration from the culture of congestion and skyscrapers. it has become our reality in terms of the fabric of metropolitan cities all around the world.
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Stacking of parking, public space, agricultural lab and restaurant_Nathan Ritinha Sem 03 Urban Farm
The logic of stacking different functions vertically to make more efficient use of space is the norm today but it wasn't so in the 1900s. A novelty then, it has become our norm now and it is enlightening to know about the roots of these ideas in architectural theory. The idea of 'genetic memory' comes to mind (memory that is imprinted in our genes over a long period of time and instills in us tendencies or actions we never formally learnt how to enact but still know internally) and the understanding of how our actions today may have an impact on the genetic memory of our descendants.
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