Koolhaas The Auteur

 

 

 

 

We all know Rem Koolhaas to be an architect extraordinaire or Starchitect to be exact. But how much do we know about Rem Koolhaas the auteur? I have heard the word here and there, but never truly knew the meaning of it. An auteur is a filmmaker whose personal influence and artistic control over a movie are so great that the filmmaker is regarded as the author of the movie. And after reading the definition, it sure sounds like Koolhaas. It’s interesting to me, that with already being a Starchitect with many other greats, now being called an auteur he is in the same breath as greats like Martin Scorsese, Mel Brooks, Spike Lee, Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay…the list goes on. With how meticulous Rem is with the research he brings to his architectural projects, it’s a no-brainer he would bring the same thought process to the books that came out of the seminar he conducted at Harvard. Jameson said something in his text that seems like it oddly fits well in regards to Koolhaas. He was talking about some of the books they published and how “As for Koolhaas, his role seems to have been mostly organizational (that is to say, like certain versions of the deity, nowhere and everywhere all at once) save for an astonishing appearance in his own name, which will be discussed at the proper moment.”  I’m sure many people believe Koolhaas thinks he is much more important than he is. But whether you like him or not, his architecture and theory have done a lot for the profession even if some think for the worst.