Like a Crab on LSD
In his essay Koolhaas writes, "There is no progress; like a crab on LSD, culture staggers endlessly sideways." He later writes, "Inevitably, the death of God (and the author) has spawned orphaned space; Junkspace is authorless, yet surprisingly authoritarian."
Some say that Koolhaas is warning us about junkspace in this essay, but you can't warn people about something that has already come. The essay is simply stating a truth, and, just like junkspace, there is no progress in Koolhaas' truth. His writing style is reflecting the essence of junkspace. There is no progress. He's not suggesting any solutions. Good or bad. Helpful or not. It's inevitable. The essay just exists. Half of the sentences in the essay begin with "Junkspace is..." I think he did that intentionally to get the reader to understand that junkspace is something that, no matter what we do, we just have to deal with. Junkspace is.
And according to Koolhaas, architects of the past are the ones to blame for junkspace's erection. "Architects could never explain space; junkspace is our punishment for their mystifications." We now have to go through this era where junkspace is so prominent. Strip malls and other examples of cookie-cutter architecture are in high demand, and unless you're a firm like BIG, Gensler, HOK, etc. you don't have the capacity to turn down every strip mall project that comes your way. We can't control what developers want. We can't control what's approved by the BAR. We can't dictate the demands of the general public. Most people don't value quality in space like architects do. For now, we just have to deal with it. Junkspace is.
Some say that Koolhaas is warning us about junkspace in this essay, but you can't warn people about something that has already come. The essay is simply stating a truth, and, just like junkspace, there is no progress in Koolhaas' truth. His writing style is reflecting the essence of junkspace. There is no progress. He's not suggesting any solutions. Good or bad. Helpful or not. It's inevitable. The essay just exists. Half of the sentences in the essay begin with "Junkspace is..." I think he did that intentionally to get the reader to understand that junkspace is something that, no matter what we do, we just have to deal with. Junkspace is.
And according to Koolhaas, architects of the past are the ones to blame for junkspace's erection. "Architects could never explain space; junkspace is our punishment for their mystifications." We now have to go through this era where junkspace is so prominent. Strip malls and other examples of cookie-cutter architecture are in high demand, and unless you're a firm like BIG, Gensler, HOK, etc. you don't have the capacity to turn down every strip mall project that comes your way. We can't control what developers want. We can't control what's approved by the BAR. We can't dictate the demands of the general public. Most people don't value quality in space like architects do. For now, we just have to deal with it. Junkspace is.
I agree Julian. Junkspace is the medium. If the medium is defined by the majority, and if the majority defines what is seen as mediocre, then Junkspace is the mediocrity, the middle of the Bell curve, and it will always "be".
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of what you are saying, however, I feel like the general public does appreciate the quality of space, but they merely except what is given to them and adapt to the cheaply made buildings that are given to them.
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