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JG Ballard on modernists and death
by bucy at 6:49 pm EST, Mar 20, 2006 |
Death was what the Atlantic wall and Siegfried line were all about. Whenever I came across these grim fortifications along France's Channel coast and German border, I realised I was exploring a set of concrete tombs whose dark ghosts haunted the brutalist architecture so popular in Britain in the 1950s. Out of favour now, modernism survives in every high-rise sink estate of the time, in the Barbican development and the Hayward Gallery in London, in new towns such as Cumbernauld and the ziggurat residential blocks at the University of East Anglia.
OMG... cf. Life against Death (Norman O. Brown), Gravity's Rainbow (Pynchon), A vicious NYT op-ed right after the redesign of the "Freedom Tower" was unveiled a few months back compared the new design to Albert Speer. |
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NYT on the freedom tower
by Decius at 7:18 pm EST, Mar 20, 2006 |
bucy wrote:
A vicious NYT op-ed right after the redesign of the "Freedom Tower" was unveiled a few months back compared the new design to Albert Speer.
HA! Here is the link: The most radical design change is the creation of the base, which will house the building's lobby and some mechanical systems. Designed to withstand a major bomb blast, the base will be virtually windowless. In an effort to animate its exterior, the architects say they intend to decorate it in a grid of shimmering metal panels. A few narrow slots will be cut into the concrete to allow slivers of natural light into the lobby.
Apparently the concrete base is to be 20 stories tall. 20 stories of fortress with an office building on top instead of a flower pot. NYT on the freedom tower |
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JG Ballard on modernists and death
by noteworthy at 8:00 pm EST, Mar 20, 2006 |
The scattered rubbish and tang of urine made me think of structures closer to home in England - run-down tower blocks and motorway exit ramps, pedestrian underpasses sprung from the drawing boards of enlightened planners who would never have to live in or near them, and who were careful never to stray too far from their Georgian squares in the heart of heritage London.
Or Atlanta. (I really want to know what genius thought up the pedestrian underpass. Have you ever seen a "nice" one?) Hitler and Stalin were intrigued by modernism, which seemed part of a new world of aviation, radio, public health and mass consciousness.
"This web site needs more AJAX!", they shouted in unison. Fearing ourselves, we need our illusions to protect us, even if the protection takes the form of finials and cartouches, corinthian columns and acanthus leaves.
Feed me, Agent! Tell me what to read next! As in the cases of the pyramids and the Taj Mahal, the Siegfried line and the Atlantic wall, death always calls on the very best architects.
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RE: JG Ballard on modernists and death
by Lost at 2:49 pm EST, Mar 21, 2006 |
noteworthy wrote: The scattered rubbish and tang of urine made me think of structures closer to home in England - run-down tower blocks and motorway exit ramps, pedestrian underpasses sprung from the drawing boards of enlightened planners who would never have to live in or near them, and who were careful never to stray too far from their Georgian squares in the heart of heritage London.
Or Atlanta. (I really want to know what genius thought up the pedestrian underpass. Have you ever seen a "nice" one?) Hitler and Stalin were intrigued by modernism, which seemed part of a new world of aviation, radio, public health and mass consciousness.
"This web site needs more AJAX!", they shouted in unison. Fearing ourselves, we need our illusions to protect us, even if the protection takes the form of finials and cartouches, corinthian columns and acanthus leaves.
Feed me, Agent! Tell me what to read next! As in the cases of the pyramids and the Taj Mahal, the Siegfried line and the Atlantic wall, death always calls on the very best architects.
Not to nitpick, but Moscow pedestrian underpasses are quite nice. Each one is like a little strip mall, and you can get plenty of daily goods there. They are the only way to cross the street without dying, as Russian drivers speed up when you step in front of them. They also connect between metro stations so you don't have to go out into the cold. It really gives downtown a three dimensional feel. I guess this is something only the soviets could have pulled off. |
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JG Ballard on modernists and death
by Decius at 5:49 pm EST, Mar 20, 2006 |
Death was what the Atlantic wall and Siegfried line were all about. Whenever I came across these grim fortifications along France's Channel coast and German border, I realised I was exploring a set of concrete tombs whose dark ghosts haunted the brutalist architecture so popular in Britain in the 1950s. Out of favour now, modernism survives in every high-rise sink estate of the time, in the Barbican development and the Hayward Gallery in London, in new towns such as Cumbernauld and the ziggurat residential blocks at the University of East Anglia.
Brilliant. |
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