Comments on: Economic Downturns and Romantic Landscapes

By: Lawrence

Lawrence — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 04:46:32 +0000

Dan, South London was always one of the richest areas for what some call “derelict land”. I would love to see the photos, but Flickr is annoyingly blocked in my current place of residence.

By: DAN

DAN — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:31:54 +0000

Having just read the initial post – I agree absolutely that the romance in a place is only multiplied by its inaccessibility or exclusiveness even.

Areas around Deptford Creek that have been boarded up for the last few years sadly now starting to be developed have been and gone.

However, the search goes on – places come and go – last summer the temporary/permenant installation on top of the Peckham multiplex cinema was a welcome highlight. An opportunity site for this one season event with fantastic views over London and a dodgy elevator ride up to the top… An inbetweener perhaps , not overdeveloped and for the summer only – was good fun

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickwoodford/tags/franks/

By: Christine

Christine — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:53:06 +0000

Yes many people have been effected by religious persecution and I believe this is wrong (both for and against belief). Perhaps the Inquisition, although guilty of persecution, was also about other things? [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albigensian ] The world in which the original Inquisition arose is so foreign to me that I lack the capacity to judge it. And perhaps it is only in understanding the first inquisition that you can understand the second one.

However, clearly, as with the French Revolution, thought (which OK in itself) can lead to violent action (which is not good). I am not sure what the solution to this problem is.

I think the difficulty lies in supposing that art is ‘ethical’ only. Art has both an ethical aspect and a sensory aspect – we respond to both aspects. And perhaps it is not unusual that we might confuse the response to one aspect with the response to the other.

I do believe there are absolute values but I am also aware of the boundedness and ‘inescapability’ of ignorance (which can impact on both the ethical and sensory horizons of the judgment of a work.) In this sense the passage of time is a friend.

By: Tom Turner

Tom Turner — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:44:49 +0000

Re the Inquisition – I hope that I would not have supported it! What’s more I have an idea that a great-great-etc grandfather of mine lived in the Netherlands when it was rulled by Spain – and left the country because of religious persecution. On the other issues I am much opposed to Vichy France but sympathetic to the Revolution (if not the subsequent imperialism). The underlying issue is moral relativism: are there any absolute values in ethics or art? The best answer I can give on a chilly Friday morning is ‘maybe’.

By: Christine

Christine — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:25:42 +0000

Yes, I would agree with you about the Spanish Inquisition. However, if I was living in Spain during the years of the Inquisition would I have also come to this judgment? (I don’t know…and perhaps I would need a much deeper understanding of the historical context to come to any legitimate sense of this.) Perhaps like Corbusier I may have support Vichy France and then changed my mind?

I also think the French Revolution was wrong…but in all probability there might be many today including French nationals who would disagree.

By: Tom Turner

Tom Turner — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:55:01 +0000

I generally agree that most actions have to be judged by the criteria of the period in which they occurred - and I think the Venturis did a far better job of the Sainsbury Wing than ABK. But I am not willing to judge the Spanish Inquisition by the standards of contemporary Spain: I think it was wrong. Re the status of art, in our own time, it has closer links with individuality than with 'quality' - which is problematic for the built environment.

By: Christine

Christine — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:10:20 +0000

Whoops! The above quotes are from the VSBA website.[ http://www.vsba.com/pdfs/NationalGallerySainsburyWingLondon02.pdf ]

By: Christine

Christine — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:08:58 +0000

There are a number of issues here.

1. Tom, I wonder how you will feel when the future generations look back on your work (as they will) and make assessments as to how wise and foreseeing you were? There are probably very few people in history who can withstand the judgment of history on their work, ie. Socrates, Michelangelo etc.

Personally, if history looks back on my work at all I hope that future generations contextualise my work within the period (and culture) in which it was produced!

2. Re: The Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery

the point of convergence is:

“Stylistically, the Wing is designed to connect to and reflect William Wilkins’ 1838 National Gallery building while maintaining its own identity as a work of contemporary architecture.
It’s constructed of the same Portland limestone and observes the cornice
height of the original. Elements from the Wilkins facade are replicated on
the new building,….”

while (the theory relating to) the point of divergence is:

“The Sainsbury Wing contains a new and more generous entry that provides
grade access to the entire National Gallery. This ground-level entrance is
not only accessible to all people but, in contrast to the original structure,
appears accessible — an important consideration as museums reach out
to ever more diverse audiences.”

3. What are the consequences of a designer aspiring to the status of art in their work?

By: Tom Turner

Tom Turner — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:49:25 +0000

I agree re the old ‘styles’, but what proportion of buildings should aspire to the status of art? I can’t help thinking of the all the traditional examples of ‘architecture without architects’ which we find so attractive. For mass housing and most offices wouldn’t it be better to develop a new ‘vernacular’ – and stick to it? You could say that we have done this with International Modern architecture but the sustainability agenda renders much of this obsolete.

By: Tom Turner

Tom Turner — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:48:08 +0000