Feeling Optimistic for Once...Might Delete Later
"For every architect there is a creative moment when he or she plugs into the Muse and generates, from Chaos, a sketch that builds order."
--Samuel Mockbee
Samuel Mockbee really opens this article with a hook, describing how architecture is more than just a means to an end. It is a practice that is driven by the heart and soul of the architect. I think what I really enjoy about this article is that Mockbee is able to articulate all the ideas of architecture that I often have trouble putting into words. Architecture really is a social art form and it is the responsibility of the architect to know what is happening in our society in order to make positive change in the future.
It really hit home that some architecture is caught up in a capitalist culture and some of those projects lose the heart of what architecture should be. Any good architect knows from looking at a project when it is driven by good intentions versus for profit. Often the best projects come from the little napkin sketches and chaotic collages that are meant to capture the ideas of the architect with no distractions from the things that make up our capitalist culture. It is these spontaneous drawings that make up the heart of the project, the doodles that capture the true intentions of the architect and the client, the sketches that embody the soul for change. At the end of the day, it is our job to decide the type of architect we want to be an figure out how we can change the world for the better.
Wow Taylor, so positive today! I have really enjoyed debates recently because of the insight I've gained in the kinds of architects our classmates want to become. Of course there are some who just are good at cranking out drawings and want to make money, but I think the majority of us are idealists who want to design buildings that work with context, aid the public, and benefit the user. I'm hoping that the gradual move out of late-stage capitalism will foster an environment for architects that values creativity and insight above profit, but for now I guess we have to settle for focusing on our own personal goals.
ReplyDeleteTaylor, I think that my favorite thing about Mockbee, other than his ability to express what so many of us feel, is how he took that into his own hands and did something productive about it. In Rural Studio the authors talk about the unique impact of the program on the students lives, but I think that the link between the two readings is the impact on architectural education. While it is impossible to directly replicate the Rural Studio, more and more similar programs are popping up across the country and helping to shape the values and goals of emerging architects.
ReplyDeleteTaylor,
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Architecture is becoming more and more politically motivated and it's difficult to see a way out of it. For the most part, the clients we design public spaces and buildings for have a specific motivation for that project and a-lot of the time it doesn't align with what our motivation is. Designing for the client and designing for the public have become two different things when they should reflect the same architecture so we need to find a way to not get sucked into the world of politics and stay grounded in our design.
Taylor,
ReplyDeleteI agree. Architects take an oath to the practice and should always be designing as best practice approach not the minimum standard of care. It should be our duty to listen and digest the needs of the client without compromising our own beliefs or needs of society and the environment. We hear way to much that things need to be VE'd on a project because of budget and often strips a building down to its bare minimum. I like to call this type of architecture prison chic. I believe if a firm is asking any of this from its employees then it is not a good firm to work for.