Life in the mall
Everything happens and takes place in the mall, one of the largest interior public places for people to shop, eat, play games, watch movies, hangout, relax, people watch, etc. One can spend many hours in this interior space and even essentially live their lives in it. In the movie Mallrats, the mall acted as their home away from home. Many of their life events were taking place within the confines of the mall. But is this junkspace so bad? If a place can encourage people of all ages to come, interact and have life events take place in the comfort of air conditioning throughout the days then where is the negative? Maybe junkspace isn't so bad to have around.
I guess it depends on how and what you are viewing as "junk space" and how it came to be. If a space is designed upon without organization it can end up looking like a sporadic petri dish of program. I think this begins to look at the difference between tasteful junk space and congested chaos.
ReplyDeleteEven though the word "junkspace" has this negative connotation, I believe that it, as other witty images created by Koolhaas, should not be perceived seriously. Critique does not mean that it is necessarily "bad", everything could be criticized and there is just no ideal.
ReplyDeleteThe consequences of junkspace may very well be wonderful (bringing people together, offering unnatural activities and experiences, etc.), however, I don't think that Koolhass is critiquing this. I think he is making a point that architecture has changed into something...dull and deterministic. (There's probably a better adjective there.) I think he is asking architects to provide space for these "chaotic" or organic experiences while also providing architecture-formed, beautiful, flexible, space for activity to thrive, not just happen.
ReplyDeleteThe way you talk about malls, and the way it is portrayed in the movie makes me think of the guy that tried to live in Walmart several years ago. If I remember correctly, he just walked in one day with only a debit card and bought everything he needed from food to clothes. I think he even managed to sleep there every night by hiding during closing. Eventually he was discovered, but not before he had been there for several weeks.
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