And perhaps the greatest fallout of ideological PR is that
basic realities become ignored.
For example, how else would one explain an architecture
professor asking if the "Iron Curtain" actually existed in
physical terms. This is not to single out Michael Kaplan,
for, in all likelihood, there are many American architecture
professors that would/could ask the same question. Yet there
it was, an "Iron Curtain" physically dividing Europe, a very
real structure on par with the Great Wall of China and
equally worth being in architectural / built environment
history books. Who knew?
As some of the analysis linked further from
http://www.siue.edu/GEOGRAPHY/ONLINE/German_border/border/00
2.htm
shows, both side (of Germany) were equally guilty of
PRETENDING the other side didn't exist.
Related to this, I recall saying much the same about basic
realities being ignored in reference to the factories of
Philadelphia's Northern Liberties now being recognized as
(some of) Louis Kahn's architectural inspiration because
that is where Kahn grew up--
What really bothers me though is the notion that Kahn's
architecture being
inspired by his youthful surroundings is now seen as some
new insight. The
truth of the matter is that North Philadelphia was jam
packed with an
incredible collection of 19th century industrial
architecture. Sadly, a lot
of it is now gone, and virtually none of it was ever
appreciated. For me, it
was riding the old Reading train line into town through
North Philadelphia
that provided one of Philadelphia's best architectural
tours. [This train
route is now called the R8, and it still runs regularly, but
many, many of
the old factories are gone.] I guess what I'm trying to say
is that
apparently there were and still are great buildings in North
Philadelphia
(like Exeter Library, no less), but because they are not
designed by someone
famous, they are not noticed. Why isn't this architectural
greatness
recognized all along? Is it perhaps architectural education
itself that
somehow makes us less observant? Or has it always been that
nothing is worth
it until some article or book says it is?
-- from
http://lists1.cac.psu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0111&L=design-l&O
=A&P=2260
And from here DIA:BEACON is the latest example of how
heretofore unrecognized factory architecture is now deemed
"great architecture." (Ah, the power of PR!)
Yes, architectural education via ideological PR has made
architects increasingly unobservant, hence the ongoing joke
about tree-blind mice (see how the run into trees that are
visibly not there).
Another lesson that needs to be learned is that ignoring is
no different than ignorance.
ps
from
http://lists1.cac.psu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0208&L=design-l&D
=0&O=A&P=10512&F=P :
I am now reminded of an anecdote Ron Evitts told me the day
after I took Ron and Stephen Brockman to see Ahavath Israel
some Saturday morning October 2000 (I think). After our
visit to the Kahn building, Ron and Stephen went to have
lunch with Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. The guys
told the famous architects about having just seen Kahn's
first building. Venturi apparently acted in some kind of
disbelief, as if the building didn't even exist. He said
something like, "But it's not even in the catalogue!?!" I
assume Venturi was referring the LOUIS I. KAHN: IN THE REALM
OF ARCHITECTURE. Ron told them to look up the (then)
webpages at www.quondam.com that displayed images of the
building.