Can American culture relate to its architecture, and vice-versa?
The culture of a country has a very broad influence on the architecture found in it. It can be seen throughout many examples, and different countries and cultures. In addition, the architects have also had a big role on how the culture develops depending on the type of project, it is a continuous give and take process.
After living in the US for 8 years and spending past 4 years at college, one thing I have realized is that the American culture is very much based on appearance and façade. One thing that comes to mind is the fact that in a lot of suburban areas there are no barriers between houses. I first thought that it was great to see that people were really open about their property. However, after a while, you realize that it is just a front. For example, if you step in someone’s backyard without permission it could have repercussion on yourself. Furthermore, I have found that people have a tendency to not go out of their way, and I think that it is due to the excessive amount of rules and regulations there are towards everything. I am not saying that one should not follow them all. However, with too many restrictions, creativity starts to fade and living becomes more about following guidelines preset for oneself. Therefore, one question I am trying to answer is: should there be rules as to how a person decides to live his/her life, and can the space he or she lives in help make those decisions?
I think you're pulling on an interesting thread, Arthur. The interaction between Architecture, Culture and Rules sounds like a space you could really tease out. To relay a wisdom one of my high school teachers gave me about dress code:
ReplyDelete"I don't support the uniform because I like subjecting you to rules. I do it because I believe that by removing that element from your consideration -as you're now required to wear a particular garment- your creativity can flourish in other areas"
And I remember the Eames' flourished in excessively tight constraints.
So is it the rules of a culture that stifles the people's creativity, or is it something else? The culture itself perhaps?
Shouldn't architecture relate to culture....wasn't culture there first?
ReplyDeleteLook more into architecture as a means to connect people...
What is architecture to you?
When I first thought about Architecture as a means to connect people, in the back of my mind I was thinking of the American culture and how even though they seem very open at first glance, one often runs into a brick wall when trying to create stronger connections...
ReplyDeleteSo can Architecture break that brick wall, can it open up people, and have them connect on a deeper level and not just on "wassup?" level..?