A few months ago, I was asked to make opening remarks on a gathering of architects and students on a theme of transcendence. I have now forgotten when and where was it delivered. All who listened also , perhaps, forgot about too. though some asked for a copy then that I did not have. The notes I used just surfaced when I was searching for something else.
It may be of interest to some, may amuse some others. If it does to any one, I would be happy.
Transcending boundaries.
I am honoured to be here today and thank the
designer publications for inviting me to make the opening remarks. I am
standing here with great trepidation to make the first remarks where a crème –de-la-crème of architectural
fraternity is gathered. I agreed to take in this onus, not realising its
enormity .
First there was the word, says the Bible.
Similarly here, during the exchange mails, a word came into the correspondence. Transcendence. Sounding good with connotations of
philosophy, sufficient , it stuck. It defined and created a curious intriguing
barrier as any ambiguous abstract theme would
be for a conference on architecture that is most concrete. More I think of the
theme I am perplexed and wonder how could we transcend it.
Transcendence and imminence are two words of
philosophy, metaphysics precisely; to seek beyond or to seek within. That stuff
is beyond me. Let me stick to the common
meaning: To transcend is to climb over a barrier, go beyond boundaries.
At a mundane level, transcendence is life. As life has barriers, physical, mental,
chronological. Many of these barriers are
conceptual, natural and come or made up for a specific purposive knowledge of the world.
Look
at butterfly’s life cycle. Its life, the same life, manifested differently at different times with in limitations and
barriers. And life transcends from one from to another. Egg, worm, pupa,
cocoon, and the butterfly. So does many
others forms of life, a child’s growth. From physical growth to mental growth, acquiring
emotions, skills and social behaviour, into a person and a unique personality. Life transcends.
Societies form and grow, cultures develop. Skills develop differently , then some where
exchanges do happen and evolution take different turns. Cultural artifacts and
their creations transcend original boundaries.
Contrarily societal evolution has created barriers and limits; caste,
creed , religion, professions . Humanity
always tried to transcend these systemic barriers and boundaries. And more such
boundaries get created anew too.
Words try to define our architecture. Words
and thoughts are expressed in languages and languages appear in procession. A
linear procession at that. But many thoughts are non verbal . Are architectural thoughts, about spaces and
world about rhythm and time; are they linear ? Can language adequately
represent architecture of it’s phenomenological sensory dimensions? Are we not trying to transcend either way? From
language to architecture and architecture to words. And other representations of architecture too?
Drawings, geometry, graphics, photography ; The print media. Electronic media.
Is the idea of architecture itself is transmuted in this process?
Complexities are on the rise. Engineering and
planning, urban design and infrastructure, humongous cities and buildings of
gigantic scale go beyond our conceptions, beyond human ease of
understanding. Transcending andmoving towards
a chaos? Or to an understanding and knowledge to tame the complexity? Human knowledge has been bound into
categories. Boundaries and cells . Professions compete, uniformity of processes
are enforced creating more complexities. Don’t we need a transcendence beyond
desciplines and profession?
First, the definition of architecture itself
is in confusion. We are confronted by the raised middle finger of Frank Gehry.
With an obnoxious gesture, he recently dismissed 98 % of all architectural
productions as some thing coming out of the other end. The arrogance of the few as being
representing a few who does some thing worthwhile for humanity. Mostly, as
critics say, creating sites of spectacular spectatorship, showy, self
advertising, hollow. Rest are all just buildings. Not worth talking about. But that the rest constitutes the world. This
hiatus between the majority of ordinariness and the high end of design is not
going to go away soon. Do we have a
theory which can connect the ends of high-design tradition, bordering the art
and the habitat-space- tradition of the vernacular, craft and the folk out side
the profession of architecture itself?
In squatter settlements, villages, small towns. Developing countries in
Asia and Africa, where majority live? Stupid places standing in the way of march
towards smart cities. How do we transcend these? That
stupidity swams. We cannot ignore.
Architecture has
always been playing out illusions. And illusions and visionary creative
hallucinations drive the world of future, perhaps
Illusions are
also after all wishes and dreams tying to
transcend current limitations. Like magic, it is attractive and appeals
to logical minds too. Flying trapeze and
other adventures of circus and sports also transcend the normal human
abilities, and push the limits of determination and skills. And perhaps, that
appeals to more people. When dreams and utopia open up new possibilities, it
can energize many young minds. Illusions
suggesting falsity could be products of snobbery and plain smart foolery or may
be perceptions and glimpses of what could be too. When pursued it transcends
thoughts to fiction and futuristic.
For example; the
synthetic biology researches. The Fab-Tree-Hab of MIT labs. One scenario of the
future of technology seems to be trying to imitate life’s processes as Rachel
Armstrong says. Some materials even though not living may show properties of
life; like growth and movement. In such a scenario the architect’s building
blocks are not dead materials, but life’s processes. That would make very
strange geometries or non-geometries and defy the sense of visual order we are
used to. Yet it could be intelligent and claimed to be more eco- friendly as
well. One may not even know what shape the building and city of such
development scenario would take. We have been designing with a definite plan
and construction plan leading to a definite product. The synthetic biology as
an open system of design envisions a utopian system like an illusion, influencing
the process not knowing the final product. Yet one cannot dismiss the
possibilities. But how do we assimilate future into our human social systems
and transcend their limitations?
From mere
construction to functional notions, architecture transcended to semiotics and
linguistics in search of a support
theory. None seem to last. Ecology and sustainability seem to provide a respite
at the moment holding the fort. The success or failure of this movement will
depend, unfortunately, not on the profession perhaps, but on the immanent force
of destruction in the global economy and ecology. Yet the large masses of folk
would continue to build large part of the world
non- professional non high design tradition and hybrid building systems
. How do we transcend to system of coexistence and mutual influence
