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Conflicted Over Majestic Architecture
As a lover of majestic architecture, I am acutely conflicted, because many of the most amazing building projects on the planet are taking place in Dubai, a location where conditions for workers are uncomfortably close to those of ancient Egypt. Is it possible to foresee a time when a progressive egalitarian society might produce brilliant, stately, inspiring structures?
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Posted by bryce on 04/22 at 11:44 AM
I couldn't help but catch all the descriptions Mr. Treder used to describe these structures: "majestic, brilliant, stately, inspiring, great treasures, graceful, intrinsic beauty, grandeur, visionary, incredible, sheer beauty."
Being someone who prefers the countryside over the city, I usually reserve these terms for things like waterfalls, mountains, pristine lakes, and fields of flowers. For really cool man-made structures, I will usually just say that they're "cool." However, I get more excited about the beauty of a structure (though I might call it extrinsic beauty instead of intrinsic beauty), even a humble one, if I knew that it was built with love and complete honesty.
Posted by Mike Treder on 04/22 at 11:55 AM
Well, I've made no secret of my love for grand architecture, and I'm not about to argue whether it's rational or not. I'm simply reflecting a feeling of awe that I get when I see what man can build -- even when I know the dark stories behind so many of these marvels.
That said, I have equally strong feelings of awe and appreciation for the wonders of nature, including all the things you described. One does not negate the other.
Posted by AJ on 04/22 at 12:05 PM
Recent research demonstrates the Stonehenge was a geometrically inspired structure. The stones were positioned to a predetermined architectural plan - which much have been designed on a 'prehistoric drawing board'. The idea that the stones were aligned on distant sightlines has finally been de-bunked.
What we have is a symmetrical mirrored structure set astride the axis of the longest and shortest days of the year. It's time for architects to sit up and take note of the planning of Stonehenge, moving the stones was an effort , but the design and setting out the arrays a work of pure genius. More details below.
http://www.solvingstonehenge.com
Posted by Athena Andreadis on 04/26 at 01:34 PM
The Egyptian pyramids, the Athenian temples on the Parthenon and the Gothic cathedrals were built by guilds of freemen. This does not negate your points about the economies and hierarchies of these societies, but it does introduce nuances, particularly of motivation and reward. Additionally, cultural and linguistic definitions placed disproportionate favor on constructs that stand out (think phallic) instead of equally inspired constructs that blend.
Posted by jcs on 04/26 at 10:15 PM
Those at the top of an authoritarian society have an interest in advertising their superiority. Keeping the average person convinced that "those at the top simply deserve to be at the top" is key to perpetuating their rule over a population that might otherwise wrestle control through their collective might.
Egalitarian societies have less need for this type of posturing and tend to view it as suspicious. You can see this attitude expressed in the explicit distrust of beauty that's part of western civilization's current art culture. They would probably be interested in asking, what exactly are these buildings inspiring us to think or do?
How would you feel about these same buildings if they were built in Los Vegas? If you'd be less enthusiastic about them, I'd argue your admiration for them stems from some (false?) assumption you're making about the builders and not from the structure's inherent beauty.
If the main appeal of monumental scale art is that it reflects the highest values and aspirations of an entire civilization (like say Egypt), then it probably can't help but come off as pretentious when attempted in a hyper-diverse culture like our own. I'm sure we'll have buildings similar to these soon enough, but, to the average person, I doubt they'll "mean something" anymore than an ergonomic office chair "means something".
Posted by qendresa on 10/03 at 04:19 AM
o my got is veru very very wondreful
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