In a message dated 98-01-12 02:52:04 EST, [log in to unmask]
writes:

> Put another way, I think that it is a pity that there seems to be a
>  complete cultural schism between those who pursue "traditional" design and
>  its material manifestations and the "modern".

This rings true for me.
The modern that I really do not find pleasing is one that is devoid of any
recognition of craft skills. Shoddy work is shoddy regardless of underlying
philosophy. What I object to is shoddiness in modernity being touted as
appropriate because it is modern. I think one popular objection to modern art
comes about because we are exposed to more shoddy work that is new, because
someone already had the sense to throw away the shoddy work that was old. I
remember many years ago finding a lot of old rural NY poetry in the Library of
Congress and thought wow! here we have this movement for regional small press
poetry and I just found all this old stuff. I approached John Gill of Crossing
Press with the idea, he was always gently tolerant of my strange ideas, who
commented that if it was bad poetry then why should it be good poetry now? I
think the same thing may go for some of our past architecture, the practical
idea is that if it falls down or does not work then leave it dead, or convert
it into something else.

][<en Follett