Response to Patrick Quinn and Derrida
Am I the only one who had no idea what Louis Kahn was talking about when he was really talking? Fuller could talk all night and I was pretty much constantly with him and entranced. Kahn was about as clear to me as Soleri, I think I fell asleep both times. Now, I hope it goes without saying, I think I understand almost everything Kahn was about and believe his wisdom is an important part of my ability to practice architecture. By the way, I still am devoted to everything Fuller was saying.
(Since we are talking about camels and pinheads, it may be that I am mistakenly glossing the difference between writing and talking.)
I also love to read Sontag and Barthes and even Calvino, but I never got anything from Derrida, have struggled for 40 years to get through The Sciences of the Artificial by Herbert Simon because my favorite teacher recommended it. Yes, indeed, there are many forms of smarts. (Who are these people who turn Hawking's books into best sellers?)
We do continue to struggle to understand each other. Patrick's discomfort with Walter's misuse of symbiosis is exactly why this discussion is happening. If we don't know the meaning, can't be sure that we have a shared understanding, of "excellence in architecture", well, where are we?
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Mike Mense FAIA
Owner
mmenseArchitects
Anchorage AK
Original Message:
Sent: 07-06-2011 15:45
From: Patrick Quinn
Subject: Symbiotic cities and fine art quality
Somehow the writings from the later Joyce all the way to Derrida seem so much less dense today, because they did, after all,allow us access to their linguistic adventures even if we hated the whole idea of such experiments. We can excuse them of course because they are artists of the written word. I have found that, without exception, great architects can state their most profound ideas both in clear words and in clear buildings. This does not mean an absence of profundity, for great buildings reveal their depths over time. You really have to live in them to know them.