From the looks of the buildings being built around here today I think the
architects had a good chaw of that bad beef Ebenezer Scrooge talked of.
These buildings all look to be the result of an architect's nightmares.
Ruth



At 12:52 PM -0800 1/8/05, Cuyler Page wrote:

This topic seems to tie into architectural training too.   As I got older,
I wondered why no one back in school ever taught or even talked about the
process of inspiration.   It was always about the process of making lists,
developing the program and rationalizing the result.   But when it came to
the design critiques, it was always about how much flash was on the board,
how unique the visuals were, how "creative" the concept was, meaning "Gee,
I never thought of it that way" according to one prof. and "Good work,
exactly how I would have done it." to another.   Of course all the homework
of programs and lists made for a quarry for the unconscious to draw upon,
but that aspect was never mentioned by my profs.   If anything, any
discussion of subconscious or unconscious work and product was quickly
dismissed as trivial.   Yet, as life and projects have progressed and
proved in ever more meaningful ways, the best work of design happens when
you go sit quietly on the site and await the magic of Inspiration about
what is waiting to be built there.   Doggone, it works!   Rationalists
don't like the idea, but there are at least two ways to accomplish design.
I would like to see more attention given to sharpening the intuition.   Our
design courses probably did that by default, introducing us to design by
giving us a blank paper to do something with, but I think most of what was
learned was self-taught while carrying out the exercises and satisfying the
profs to get some grades, to get a job to satisfy a boss, to get some money
to satisfy a household, to........ and in the end, the importance of
intuition took a big hit due to all the rationalisms.
--
Ruth Barton
[log in to unmask]
Dummerston, VT

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