http://popmatters.com/books/reviews/s/singular-objects-of-architecture.shtml
The loose focus of Nouvel and Baudrillard's discussion is the "singular
object": an irreducible, irreplaceable, transcendent cultural artifact.
Both Nouvel and Baudrillard believe that singular architectural objects
are of the utmost importance, and they agree that any building that
ignores the culture, time, and space where it resides, whether to please
its owners or conform to conventions, cannot be singular. While examples
of non-singularity in architecture are abundant and obvious (e.g.:
cookie-cutter colonial style suburban homes, or Asian skyscrapers that
replicate existing American buildings), identifying a singular object is
a bit more difficult. One exception is the World Trade Center, which --
according to Nouvel and Baudrillard -- was a singular object even before
its horrific collapse, since it translated the hyper-real, almost
post-apocalyptic climate of New York City through its verticality, while
also hinting at the biological and metaphorical role of cloning in
contemporary society through its duality.
Although the idea of "singularity" might seem unimportant to those not
interested in architecture, the deeper philosophical concept at work
beneath this notion holds universal appeal. Baudrillard calls this
concept the "secret" and believes that it resides at the center of all
great art. This secret -- much like the singular object -- is difficult
to describe and, in contemporary society, has dissipated. Baudrillard says:
…the secret obviously becomes increasingly difficult in a world
like our own, where everything is given to us totally promiscuously, so
that there are no gaps, no voids, no nothingness; nothingness no longer
exists, and nothingness is where secrecy happens, the place where things
lose their meaning, their identity -- not only would they assume all
possible meanings here, but they would remain truly unintelligible in
some sense.
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The Singular Objects of Architecture
Jean Baudrillard and Jean Nouvel
Translated by Robert Bononno
Foreword by K. Michael Hays
$17.95 Paper
ISBN 0-8166-3913-2
$22.95 Cloth/jacket
ISBN 0-8166-3912-4