Architecture and Beauty: Conversations with Architects About a Troubled Relationship. A manifesto

Yael Reisnter's book pushes further the idea that the art of architecture is capable of provoking : delight, joyfulness, complexity, love, pain, social commitment, responsibility, originality, thrust for innovation, exuberance, elegance, power, discretion, softness, laughter, fun, passion, dignity, musicality, weight, lightness, conflict, seduction, fear and wonder. Many of us love this idea, we dream every day with having an opportunity to provoke. Not only as a form of self expression, but as a way of experimenting with ideas to achieve features and values and technologies, hidden agendas and new disciplinary grounds that have an impact on the people.

I constantly envy musicians and what they are able to do with their language. I have been able to watch Prince in a rehearsal and later in a concert; his actions are those of a shaman. In the rehearsal his music bursts through the different instruments, his body moves in an uncontrollable manner (although he is rehearsing steps that he will be able to reproduce in the scenario), he seems to enter an altered state of consciousness, the rest of the musicians become an organic part of this dynamic event, there is experimentation, there are technical failures on one hand but brilliant, spontaneous phrases on the other, there is power in the type of music, there is risk. Then during the concert Prince and the musicians slowly acquire their status. The congregation is absolutely transformed. It could happen that someone listening to this music would keep cold, unattached; but I think that could only be a consequence of a form of resistance. The shaman Prince had a major reception in the audience. The music and dance become mediators of a religious ceremony in which the public follows an emotional pattern of ecstasy.

Architecture can have an impact in those experiencing the buildings. There are several mechanisms explained in the different interviews. In my opinion Yael latently searches for something new that might be able to go much further. This aspect of the book I find very interesting as it is not common to find expressed latent desires of change towards something not very clearly exposed, but loosely articulated, mostly emanating from the critique of Modernism and suggested in the form of "having a good eye", developing a personal expression and so on. That is the basis of my comment, speculating about what that might be. Wouldn't it be wonderful that architecture could evolve to become a synchronic tool of expression similar to danced music? Architecture is able to move and provoke, but would it be possible to do it with more power, with better results? Can we achieve more intensity?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi4gH_YS9a0