A Tale of Two Cities
In the image above stand two parts of the same city. For those of you that went to Clemson for undergrad before the world was placed on pause for the pandemic, you may recognize that these images are of Genoa, Italy. If I were a betting man (...which I am) I would be willing to say that it was the bottom image and not the top that allowed you to actually recognize the city. Each of these images show two very different sides to la superba; one that is global and new, and one that is, well the opposite. The first image shows Genoa's San Benigno business district. It features construction techniques and a materials that do not critically asses its location, creating a ''Placeless'' feeling. The immediate culture and articulation of the historic city is broken by this new and global district (poetically enough, one of the buildings in this district even houses a cruise company). The second image shows the heart of the historic district. The towering building you see is Teatro Carlo Felice, an Aldo Rossi project that restored the original theater after bombings during WW2. Even though this building belongs to the postmodern movement, I would argue that it steers towards critical regionalism. The exterior Façade of building at street level is still mostly original but the stage tower is a new addition. The addition awkwardly fits into the city, collaging itself into its messy background. The colors and articulation of the tower somehow allow the building to pass the test when surrounded by much older and much smaller buildings. Aldo Rossi offered a new solution that fit into an already existing puzzle while still creating something innovative and of his time. More importantly, the building contributes to the culture of the city, keeping some of the past and adding some of the present, creating its own place in the wild story of Genoa.
I haven't been to Italy, but your comparison of the city through two images is clear in explaining how critical regionalism can be visualized in the architectural mapping of Genoa. In my opinion, the bottom image speaks more thoughtfully to me because even if I haven't been there I can see the difference between old and new architecture, and that in turn allows me to see the original fabric of the city. Let me guess, what if it was downtown New York City visualized through the same set of two similar but differently angled images, wouldn't it be much harder to criticize and understand the city's fabric ?
ReplyDeleteYour title clearly states that you are now subconsciously more of a J.Cole fan than a Kendrick fan, seems my work over the past six years has finally paid off. But anyways, I definitely agree with your point, like you I studied in Genoa and to be honest at first glance I didn't even recognize the top image, I thought it was from Milan somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThough I have never been to Genoa, these images clearly depict this strange dichotomy between the business and historic districts. It would be interesting to see what specific approach the business district would take, architecturally speaking, if they suddenly decided to pursue critical regionalism as a means to better fit into the scene of Genoa.
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