From the beginning of my architectural education I have been inspired and influenced by political realities and issues throughout Canada and the wider world. Discussions relating to how architecture participates in political change, conflict, movements, and other events have refined, shaped and sustained my interest in the field. Growing up in suburban Winnipeg I have been continuously struck by the lack of architectural authenticity, consideration and intention found on the fringes of the city. These monotonous architectural landscapes promote and enable political inactivity. Among and in-between the many strip malls, condominiums and stucco-clad houses, there is no space for political activism or protest. In a reality where consumerism …show more content…
What began as a simple fascination with current events and the civic duty to be knowledgeable evolved into an interest in architectural and urban infrastructure, economic forces as well as social movements that influence the political culture of a group of people and the wider world. A particular book that informed my views about consumerism and the creeping influence that it has on Canadian and American politics is Toronto Star Columnist Susan Delacourt’s Shopping for Votes, in which she describes how government policy has increasingly been marketed to citizens as though they are consumers. I saw similar parallels in the world of architecture, specifically in a domestic and suburban setting where marketing and profit seem to take precedent over quality architecture and public …show more content…
In a sprawling neighbourhood filled with building dedicated to consumption and the perpetuation of the capitalist system, there are very few spatial scenarios that can serve as places of protest or productive discussion and debate for the citizenry. The increasing cynicism the citizenry holds toward political realities has led to a culture of apathy and disengagement. Recent events have also demonstrated that fear, whether it be of change or of ‘the other’ have altered the political landscape. In a reality where citizens are spread out and distant from one another and are not confronted with people of different backgrounds, as frequently as one may be in a dense urban centre, prejudice opinions and views can remain unchallenged and continue to grow. The spontaneous and immediate galvanization of people in late January of 2017 suggests a higher level of political engagement and participation is imminent. Previous movements such as Occupy Wall Street have demonstrated how small scale, temporary architecture can derive from political action and protest. I am interested in how a similar form of political assertion and representation can take place in a suburban setting. In such a potent political climate the ability for citizens to assert their views and debate, discuss and challenge their fellow citizens in a
For example, many buildings in the newly sovereign post-colonial states portray ethnic, cultural and religious patterns in order to cause nationalistic feelings among the populations. I totally agree with Miodrag Suvakovic’s argument, which claimed that ‘‘architecture is a political and ideological practice that uses its techno-aesthetic and techno-artistic strategies to participate in the organisation of individual and collective human life’’. In my view, the most interesting architectural distinguish is between liberal and extremely socialist (such as communist) political ideologies. Liberal ideologies are more open, free and creative than socialist ones, which usually are practical rather than beautiful or unusual. Thus, I can claim that liberal ideologies are more intellectually stimulating for architects because there are often less rules and requirements for their work. Socialist ideologies imply that usually there is a certain architectural plan and a set of rules that you have to follow and hence, architects in socialist countries are rarely required to «think outside the box».
“Public Art,” written by Patrick Frank, is an essay that claims public art is in everyday life and it satisfies the needs of society. First, Frank discusses the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, designed by Maya Lin, and the significance of the piece of art because it gives comfort to those who visit the monument. Next, Frank presents a humorous piece of art that is found on the rooftop of the Museum of Modern Art; this camouflage rooftop design was developed for office workers who complained about the ugly structure of the previous rooftop. Readers then learn that most of the art found on public buildings is a result of a mandate, which can result in undesirable outcomes; on the other hand, effective products can develop as a result of the mandate.
In today’s society the landscape of the city is constantly changing to accommodate for technological innovations, greater populations, and economic opportunity. As the skyline of cities across America are changing at a rate faster than ever seen before, one immense community is being left in the dust. The suburbs of America have refused to change, allowing a great resemblance of what they looked like 50 years ago. The stubbornness of the suburbs to change has led to many issues economically and environmentally. In her essay, “Seventy-Five Percent”, Ellen Dunham-Jones puts forth that 75% of construction in the past decade occurs in the suburban landscape. Yet, in today’s society much of the architectural community contains a strong bias against the suburbs. However, with over half the country’s
West Des Moines holds a wide range of structural appearances that possess different purposes and stand for different ideas. Variation sets buildings and its surrounding areas that are privately owned apart from those that are open to the public. Although, the significance behind structures may go into deeper meanings. Some hold specific purposes that involve religion while others stand to serve on more secular grounds. If we take the time to look around, we can discover how interior and exterior design conveys distinct meaning. By entering into these buildings, we may discover the diverse functions they serve in relation to structural engineering and unique aesthetics. The framework for centralized control within different societal environments
Louis was one of the most worldwide-circulated examples of concentrated poverty and public housing failure. When Charles Jencks announced “Modern architecture died in St Louis, Missouri on July 15, 1972, at 3:32pm”, he was referring to the demolition of Pruitt-Igoe housing development, a 57 acre array of 11-stories public housing blocks, representing the death of modern architecture and its iconic failure in American public housing
During the Second World War, both married and unmarried women worked in wartime industries and factories to take the place of men who joined the service. Although women didn’t play a significant role on the battlefields in Europe compared to males, it would be logical to conclude that women played an integral role in the participation and victory in WWII both at home and abroad. Yet when one considers their contribution, it is hard to imagine how much more they could have done given the conservative views of gender role at that time. In the context of traditional gender roles and boundaries, women conceivably maximized their wartime efforts by working in a variety of jobs including industry, volunteering, and serving as support staff for
Leon Krier was criticised for publishing a costly monograph on Albert Speer’s architecture (1985)in which, while acknowledging the crimes of the Nazis and the man, Krier nonetheless claimed the book’s only subject and sole justification was “Classical architecture and the passion of building” (cited by Jaskot, ‘Architecture of Oppression’, 2000). Discuss this claim, the controversy and the issues (historical, philosophical and ethical and possibly others) they raise. Can architecture, Classical, Modern or otherwise, be autonomous from politics and valued independently of the circumstances of politics and history that adhere to it?
It is no secret that homelessness is quickly becoming an epidemic in the United States, but the homeless population is not one secular demographic. For every person in the US living on the street, there is a unique story of how they got there; nonetheless, that is not to say that many of these stories are without some commonalities. Along with homelessness, there is another issue plaguing American cities, but this issue is much more covert, and exists under a guise of improvements like fancy apartments and trendy restaurants. Gentrification is defined as “the process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste” (Erikson); but what that definition fails to mention is the discourse it has on the
What comes to mind when you think of terms like: suburbia, urban sprawl, NIMBY, sustainability? We will discuss some of them in further detail, but one thing is for certain, these are all concepts that will effect every single American Citizen in the near future; if they do not already. The documentary Suburban America: Problems & Promises explores some of the intricacies and roles that suburban development has played in the past and gives us insight as to what might be see moving forward in to the future. This fascinating documentary is just shy of one hour, but it covers a surprising amount of ground in that time.
Do you think that the Canada Health Act expresses more strongly values of collectivism or individualism? I think that source in page 90 is showing a little bit of both Individualism and collectivism, i get the idea that is it both because they worry about people that need help. Then they also subtract the fact that some doctors went through a lot to get a doctor's degree. So if the doctor can not charge what he believes his services are worth but instead could get paid a substantially low amount. Unlike people in United States, where most doctors in the States are making from $156,000 to $315,000 in American dollars, where as doctors in canada would only make $146,000 to $213,000 in the American dollars. That is my reasoning behind why it's
Throughout American history, people have been categorized based on what gender they are, and what their race is. In order to explore these ideas and come to terms with their importances many musicians, film makers, and authors have described the inner-workings of this societal construct. Indeed, both racial and female identities have been at the epicenter of many works of art throughout American culture as can be seen in: Maggie: A Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane, film “Modern Times,” Bessie Smith’s “T’ain’t Nobody’s Bizness If I Do,” and James Weldon Johnson’s Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.
Much has been said about the development patterns that are found throughout towns and cities in North America. In the New York Times, a post authored by Vishaan Chakrabarti discuses the trends facing American cities in the article “America’s Urban Future (Chakrabarti).” This article talks about the ways in which American cities are seeing resurgence in their urban areas, and new population segments are moving into once blighted areas. In order to convey the changes occurring throughout our communities, Chakrabarti relies on ethos and logos to provide a foundation for the information, and effectively uses pathos to convince the audience that they should care about the subject in question.
Consumerism is the center of American culture. Americans tend to confuse their wants with their needs. With new advances in technology, as well as the help of advertisers, people are provided with easy access to new products that seem essential to their everyday life, even though they have survived this long without them. People cannot live without food, clothing, and shelter. But realistically, according to people's different lifestyles, more than food, clothing, and shelter are needed. Most people need to work to survive. Unless a job is either in their own home, or within walking distance, a means of transportation is needed. Whether it be a vehicle, money for a taxi-cab, or a token for a ride on the subway, money must be spent
Consumerism is a phenomenon that has been dominant in all societies for an extremely long time. It causes people to excessively purchase goods and consume things excessive to their actual needs. “A consumer is a person or thing that consumes” (Dictionary.com). Consumerism can be defined as a belief that an expanding consumption of goods is an advantage to the county’s economy. Today people are practically brainwashed to buy more than what they need in order to keep the economy afloat. No one thinks twice about why they are buying things or maybe even what they need. Consumerism has a big impact on our country, good or bad.
This book was written by Juhani Pallasmaa with regard to ‘Polemics’, on issues that were part of the architecture discourse of the time, i.e. 1995. It is also an extending of ideas expressed in an essay entitled “Architecture of the seven senses” published in 1994.