John, thanks for the photos. I received an angry and demanding phone from a
drunken friend whom implored me to employ the proverbial any means necessary
to stop the progress of my former boss, one DR, purveyor or themed
architecture everywhere, though the dissolution of his pasteboard design is
gratifying at times. Can anyone confirm the the viewing platform that opened
yesterday bears his stamp?
I find the St. Paul's people have gotten very pushy with their offer of
markers over the past months. This is not a complaint. Perhaps their daily
exposure leads to more insight as to what type of interaction might be
appropriate. But to stand in the photo gallery on Prince and listen to
people mutter or scream into cell phones that so and so might like this
photo or that. Disgusting. Markers. Marked. Marketable. Mark.
JY: have you graced said platform? Comments?
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Basic and applied design (Art and Architecture)
> [
mailto:DESIGN-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of John Young
> Sent: Sunday, December 30, 2001 12:52 AM
> To: DESIGN-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: WTC Awestruck
>
>
> We offer 15 photos taken today of crowds along the perimeter
> of the WTC site.
>
>
http://cryptome.org/wtc122901.htm
>
> No other event in NYC so entrances onlookers. Somber, no
> joking, quiet, staring, taking photos and videos, recording the
> real and imaginary visions almost totally hidden, but totally
> exposed, behind transparent plywood.
>
> The scene at St. Paul's Chapel is on its way to becoming
> a holy shrine well beyond what the church has been since
> the other times it became a shrine and refuge in every US war.
>
> Guiliani is right for once, no economic development could ever
> hope to have this impact. But then that may be true as well for any
> possible monument.
>
> Now, on the spot imagination is generating more powerful
> emotions and lasting perceptions than architecture and patriotism
> and business and entertainment and news are capable. At least
> as we know those present endeavors.
>
> Digging is removing the physical evidence of cultural disaster,
> but not the powerful forces being generated by what people
> imagine they see in their own void.
>
> As with most monuments the longer it will take to plan and
> execute it, the better. Best is to prolong it indefinitely, never
> enforce closure, well, maybe a bit of annual celebration for
> the victims and victims' growing herd of caretakers.
>
> As can be seen along the sidewalks, the vendors are hawking
> take home closure with mementos of looking away from the
> site. Caps emblazoned with NYPD, NYFD, PAPD, stars and
> stripes on gobs of trinkets. To be sure that is what the
> downtown redevelopers hope to do as soon as possible
> on a much grander scale: to erect barriers against surreality
> except the chutes of the closed market as proposed by the
> chic viewing ramps, ramp up, overlook, scribble your moniker,
> ramp down, move along folks.
>
