Friday, March 22, 2013

0. Once more, with (less) feeling

It is slightly objectionable to be starting a blog at this point in history, 2013, where the attention span of the internet has been progressively whittled down to its near-absolute minimum. But my intentions are clear, with the full acceptance of being "late". Throughout the course of my independent research activities, I have employed a varied of mediums and means to advance my own thought. Let me rephrase that, not to advance my thought per se, but to allow my thought to continue advancing. I have therefore treated these communicative platforms as a form of release. But by using trial-and-error in seeking 'which works best for me', I feel I might have overlooked the inherent value of the search itself.

I do not intend to invent things on this blog. I do not wish to provide the infosphere with anything particularly 'new'. I wish to use this space as one for reflection, for meditation (in the Heideggerian sense). In the past I have used blogs in an overtly introverted way, using myself and my experiences as the reflective object. As this leads to the all-too-contemporary ecstasy of solipsism coupled with the vertigo of nihilism, I have decided to employ a different strategy this time, which I hope will facilitate a more sustainable and serious commitment and foundation.

As the author, I will be the one reflecting, but the process of reflection must be mediated by an external object. The blog is to be stigmatic. I am starting with books, which at the moment of writing this introduction acts as the primary source of my contingent research. Over time, the reflective process may start to engage other mediatic objects, such as film, performance, philosophy, exhibitions, drawings, buildings, architecture, etc.

Architecture was placed unintentionally last in that list, but is perhaps indicative of the impetus behind this blog. Let it be known, architecture is the objet of this blog, and my activity. But by architecture I do not simply mean a building, nor do I mean a drawing, nor do I mean the discipline, nor do I mean the culture, nor do I mean anything that can be put into words (and certainly not images). This blog seeks to reveal the depth of Giancarlo de Carlo's statement that "architecture has become too important to be left to architects". I therefore set off to grind the architect's stone.

If we call ourselves architects, that means grappling with what that means.

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