What in the World?
Blog Prompt # 4: “If you were completely released from the constraints of the ‘architecture school’ program, what would you do architecturally, artistically, bodily, lyrically, etc that would still have an impact on your environment. Describe a real or imagined place which might allow you to do this. Explore through images and text
What an interesting, and, at the same time puzzling question. To be completely honest this kind of thought had never crossed my mind until now. Thus far I haven’t felt the constraints of so-called ‘architecture school’ but in some ways I’ve come to realize that there could be so many other things I could be doing at this very moment. Things that would greatly benefit an architectural education and positively impact the environment around me….
1.Travel…but not quite study abroad: This type of travel would consist of roaming from place to place or staying put in a centralized area for great lengths of time, whatever feels right. For me, travelling to foreign lands and interacting with people of completely different cultures is an experience like no other; spending months at a time trying to speak different languages, seeing things you only read about, eating different cuisines, take a small glimpse of a local culture and most importantly meeting the people. I think we could all benefit enormously if could see things from a different side of the world and gain entirely new perspectives.
2.Read everything I can get my hands on: As of right now free time is not something I’ve had a lot of in recent months. What couldn’t be better than reading every book you’ve planned to read but didn’t, were recommended by a teacher or the one you never finished but should’ve for a class last semester. I think this knowledge gained will impact you in a similar way to #1, opening ones mind to endless possibilities, otherwise not imagined. And hopefully that newly acquired knowledge can be used to generate positive outcomes for the community as a whole, and with that comes #3.
3.Designing and partnerships across the globe: There are billions of people in need and cannot otherwise help themselves. Starvation, natural disaster, pollution, poverty, oppressive governments, war, disease, all plague our earth and kill millions upon millions of people. What better experience could one have helping those in need and finally see their creative minds being put to good use. But in order to expand our ability to help these people we must become more universally tied and aligned in partnerships. A body of minds closer to the site could mean a great overall impact through federal legislature, or what have you. No other single experience can be as memorable and as though-provoking as helping those in need.
4.Do what I love….but more: There are many things I love to do: take long walks, play soccer, paint, eat cookie monster ice cream at the Grand Old Creamery, driving around till I get lost, and of course crosswords. I think the joy gained from these experiences should be reflected upon, discussed and used to draw inspiration.
After writing this I’ve realized that so many of the things I’ve talked about can be done on a much smaller scale; there’s volunteering in the community, finding time to read, continuing to do what I love and incorporate it into design projects or ideas. These thoughts aren’t that much different from what we’re doing now, so many the so-called ‘architecture school’ doesn’t have as many constraints as I had originally thought.