Mediocrity in pursuit of Authenticity
Junkspace and specifically the mall, have compelling beginnings. As we talked about on Tuesday, the origin of malls were European arcades. And having recently visited a couple North African countries and seeing the covered medinas, it is not far-fetched to think that this continuous, “interior” space was there long before any formalized arcade. The main difference being ownership and curation. The chaos is what defines the medinas, especially for a westerner. But the chaos, or at least what we would call chaos, is definitely organized, just on a different level. Here, hierarchy comes from within – organization implemented from Family and Religion. Perhaps it is junkspace since it’s still driven by consumers, but it doesn’t feel like it. There are no prescribed paths, motorcycles are flying by grazing unassuming tourists and yelling profanities (surely), shop owners are following you down the streets to get your attention, women are meeting almost ceremoniously on their way to the communal bakery, every man for himself. Everything feels alive, in a way that even the best American Mall could never be, due in large part (I think) to this same sense of ownership mentioned before.
This stark contrast puts into question: does the act of relinquishing responsibility, liability, and organization to a larger entity, always result in junkspace? And then by trying to please everybody, is the result always mediocrity in pursuit of authenticity? Or is it simply a difference in culture that is not even worth looking into?
This stark contrast puts into question: does the act of relinquishing responsibility, liability, and organization to a larger entity, always result in junkspace? And then by trying to please everybody, is the result always mediocrity in pursuit of authenticity? Or is it simply a difference in culture that is not even worth looking into?
I think that the difference of culture, and how each culture conducts business (i.e. capitalism vs, a free market) affects the notion of junkspace. Though either may result in junkspace, I think that Koolhaas is making the point that junkspace is inherent within consumerism.
ReplyDeleteI think it is worth looking into how junkspace is perceived by other cultures. I agree with you that although both of these places (the mall and the medinas) are driven by consumerism (like the comment above) it is a matter of how they are perceived and used. It seems to me that although they could be classified as junkspace they may not have the same meaning for their users.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to add that I agree with you that, at least to me, when trying to please "everybody" the result tends to be mediocre. I feel like our current culture has a lot of that today.
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