Booklet

*note: scroll down for plain-text of the project statement

First Formal Proposal Transcript

Architecture's Grand TOURISM:
the re-emergence of localities within a global discourse

Architecture is ever engaged in a type of colonization. Similar to historical empires exploitation of colonial economies, architects seek to exploit. The way in which architects operate onto foreign locations is opportunistic: many will build wherever a commission emerges with a large enough price tag. The locations of these aggressive insertions are by no means passive victims in this pattern: many cities solicit and compete to create large commissions by top designers in their own backyard. As architecture has a longstanding and complex relation to both power and identity, this practice of competition between localities through architecture is long established.

Due to increasing globalization, this practice has become more commonplace and accelerated in recent years. Today, cities from Denver to Bilbao to Dubai to Beijing are all in competition to create the next architectural tourist attraction. Many world-famous architects now build each project in a different country and are therefore by no means experts on the cultures for which they create. In their rush to erect the next literal tourist attraction, architects have become a version of tourists in themselves—and not as a conscientious eco-tourist. However much they may protest that they are giving back to the communities in which they build, practitioners use emerging economies as their experimental playgrounds and push their own agendas to extreme levels.

This phenomenon represents what can be termed Archi-Tourism. The question asked by this thesis is if it is possible for architecture to come into a culture as a responsible tourist, without profoundly mangling that identity which initially attracted it? And, if so, would this constitute a more desirable relationship of the locality to a globalized architectural practice? This thesis proposes that a healthy relationship between the culture of locality and the Archi-Toursit is not only possible, but urgently necessary in the growing trend of hyper-locality in today’s culture. This new locality manifests itself in trends from local food production systems to micro-finance economic models. It can be argued that the current world financial situation will accelerate this trend, making this search for a new model very timely.

The critical project to investigate this proposal has two requirements: 1) That the site be a neutral and defamiliarizing location, preventing the architect and critic from operating on preconceptions and cultural platitudes; and 2) That the program bring into direct confrontation both the international and globalized elements of architecture with its more specific, cultural and identifying role. The vehicle to address these issues will be a design project for a Worlds Fair or World Exposition which will be subsequently repurposed into the National Capital Complex for New Nation of Kosovo. Historically, the Worlds Fair represents the ultimate condition of architectural tourism, while a National Capital building represents a an important architectural component for identity and the coalescence of a culture. As the newest Nation-State, the population of Kosovo demonstrates a strong desire to forge a national identity. This unique circumstance of global cultural context, site and program is poised to re-imagine the role of the Archi-Tourist.

Things are starting to coming together...

My first draft proposals of my thesis is due on Monday. I think I have found the angle I want to take within my (quite) broad initial thoughts. I wanted something that allows me to explore issues of identity and globalization without evoking in people's minds any of the regressive stereotypes of words such as 'regionalism' or 'vernacular'. I also want my thesis to be fun. Not a joke, but fun; after all I do have to stay interested in it for almost a whole year. That being said, here is what I'm thinking: Tourism. In an architectural sense. As in, the architect AS tourist.

Title:
Architecture's grand TOURISM:
the rememergence of localities within a global discourse

I like the title because it evokes several things: 1) the history of architects as tourists from the "Grand Tour" of old (the capstone of an architectural education); 2) current trends of tourism around the world as it relates to a global culture; and 3) What tourism means specifically to the discourse, as architects practice globally but an individual buildilng has to exists on a certian site in a certian locality.

This quote by Mark Wigly provides a nice opening book-end to the scope of my arguement:

“Architects are often asked to dream up schemes that completely change the face of a place that they barely know. Their models and drawings establish a dramatic contrast between the fabric of the existing city and a wide array of exotic implants. It’s a kind of invasion by architecture. A foreign takeover. The outsiders arrogantly project their fantasies onto someone else’s city. Do they really understand the local traditions, rhythms, pathology, and complications? What kind of feel do they have for the place? Can it be anything other than the superficial feel of the tourist, even if it is the earnest tourist who deliberately wanders away from the guided tour to take snaps of unadvertised local color? Tourists, like any other kind of invader, always leave their mark. Architects simply want to leave huge marks.”

-Mark Wigley

I am reading Hans Ibelings' Supermodernism: Architecture in the Age of Globalization, which talks about phenomenon of this idea such as the death of the 'jet-setter' and star-architects as rockstars on tour (along with other, more serious things). And I am excited about it; for the moment, the feeling of terror is gone.

Now, just to find a site and a program...

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[1]Mark Wigley, “Local Knowledge” Cataloge of studio work from Stadelschule Frankfurt, 1999. Found in Phylogenesis: foa’s ark. Barcelona : Actar, 2004. p. 7.

First thoughts

So my first assignment, due the first day of thesis prep, was to put forward my initial ideas. Three ideas, specifically. In one page, describe briefly 3 ideas for your thesis, and provide an illustration for each.

My submission is attached. Now, please don't judge me too harshly because I managed to leave mine until the last minute and was therefore writing this at 6:30 am in a flu-induced haze the day it was due. Mine is also not three seperate project ideas, but 3 issues I think will become relevant to my project. In this sense, they're more three components of one big idea.

Welcome!

Hi, I'm Laura and I'm going to be sharing my thesis development through this blog. I'm currently in M.Arch thesis prep at MIT, which means I'll be completing preparations for my thesis this term (Spring 2009) and over the summer and doing a Thesis design project in the Spring. I'd love comments, questions, etc. as I post my ideas, thoughts, frustrations, and progress updates here over the next 10 months.

Thanks for reading!