Else Marie Pade
Inspiration for some of my articles comes from the strangest of places and this one is no exception. I came across this Else Marie Pade video (above) on the Internet and it really struck me as different and innovative. Architecture, like many other arts and industries suffers from fads/trends that come and go. True innovative creativity lives on forever as we know; it's timeless as the cliche goes. I don't know the history of Else Marie Pade's innovative music and I really don't care as I'm not a music expert but I do know and care that it was unique and different from the music of her time in 1962. Some may ask "what in the hell does this have to do with architecture?" You may also ask, "why is being unique and different so important?" Those are fair question. As for the first, if you have read any of my past articles you will have asked those questions before but you may have also figured out by now that these writings seek different sources of influence to develop architecture, hopefully for the better. As for the second, being unique and different for the mere sake of attention, is not important and disappears rather quickly as all fads do but not true innovation. In any event I will let Steve Jobs answer those questions further a little bit later in my article.
True creativity by nature is distasteful and fringe behavior. Distasteful, fringe behavior? Yes. True creativity is going against the flow, not conforming to society's standards: that will bother many, especially those who are intolerant to change. In any event, change is usually met with severe resistance, don't believe me? Go into work tomorrow and tell those who work below you or suggest to those who work above you that you think it's time to change the way things are done around the place, maybe procedure, upgrade technology, change policy, whatever. To really win them over, tell them that this change will require them to work a little harder than usual but it will be well worth it. Some may entertain you, some may try to kill you but most will treat you as a leper. You may say, hey wait, if it's a good idea then why not listen? Where to begin to respond to that...When we humans are faced with change or the unfamiliar a sense of the unknown flashes in our mind which posses immediate threats we need to guard against. That's natural and biological as our primal survival instincts are working hard to keep us safe from hidden dangers. The reptile mind does not like unknowns and does not like change or at least changing what is familiar/what worked in the past.
Along with dealing with our biology we like safety in our lives, and safety as we know lies in numbers; hence the reason for communities, villages, etc. (I know, I'm boiling down very complex sociological and biological human behavior but hey, in the name of architecture!!) Even though we like to believe we are independent living in the land of the free, we want to conform and fit in a group, it's safer. This is the base behavior that builds millions of identical subdivision homes that most people buy and live in, except for the occasional odd neighbor who builds something different. This may seem very harsh and it sounds like I'm calling people sheep but it's survival biology that's all, it's normal. It's not easy being independent, even in little ways. Don't believe me? The next time you are in a group disagree with the majority; most of the time you won't, people want to be accepted right? Of course I speak my mind, I'm not afraid of anyone! OK RAMBO good for you but chances are if your point of view is unpopular you won't speak up for fear of getting laser zapped by disapproval especially if there is something to lose: position at work, friends, money, going against the boss, etc. My point is this: It's hard to speak your mind when it's just simple conversation now imagine speaking your mind when it comes to building different architecture? Now there is one other thing (I'm sure there are plenty of other things) that keeps us from innovating and being different and that is disapproval; it's called "knocking down tall buildings". People will disapprove of you for many reasons; you're wearing the color yellow, they hate yellow; your working much too hard, they don't want you to set that standard; you're trying to achieve success, they don't want you to get ahead of them; you're getting noticed, they aren't and on and on it goes. When others see you building your building higher than theirs (I'm speaking metaphorically) they will try to knock it down. Sounds harsh I know, and many of you believe in humanity that is not like that but it is. If they can't win they will stop you from winning, and if they already won they certainly don't need any competition. Ever see a famous or successful person in any field help those beneath them succeed? Neither have I... OK I'm being cynical and harsh. I'm just trying to point out that you need to work hard, the hardest you have ever worked because most likely others won't do it for you.
Along with dealing with our biology we like safety in our lives, and safety as we know lies in numbers; hence the reason for communities, villages, etc. (I know, I'm boiling down very complex sociological and biological human behavior but hey, in the name of architecture!!) Even though we like to believe we are independent living in the land of the free, we want to conform and fit in a group, it's safer. This is the base behavior that builds millions of identical subdivision homes that most people buy and live in, except for the occasional odd neighbor who builds something different. This may seem very harsh and it sounds like I'm calling people sheep but it's survival biology that's all, it's normal. It's not easy being independent, even in little ways. Don't believe me? The next time you are in a group disagree with the majority; most of the time you won't, people want to be accepted right? Of course I speak my mind, I'm not afraid of anyone! OK RAMBO good for you but chances are if your point of view is unpopular you won't speak up for fear of getting laser zapped by disapproval especially if there is something to lose: position at work, friends, money, going against the boss, etc. My point is this: It's hard to speak your mind when it's just simple conversation now imagine speaking your mind when it comes to building different architecture? Now there is one other thing (I'm sure there are plenty of other things) that keeps us from innovating and being different and that is disapproval; it's called "knocking down tall buildings". People will disapprove of you for many reasons; you're wearing the color yellow, they hate yellow; your working much too hard, they don't want you to set that standard; you're trying to achieve success, they don't want you to get ahead of them; you're getting noticed, they aren't and on and on it goes. When others see you building your building higher than theirs (I'm speaking metaphorically) they will try to knock it down. Sounds harsh I know, and many of you believe in humanity that is not like that but it is. If they can't win they will stop you from winning, and if they already won they certainly don't need any competition. Ever see a famous or successful person in any field help those beneath them succeed? Neither have I... OK I'm being cynical and harsh. I'm just trying to point out that you need to work hard, the hardest you have ever worked because most likely others won't do it for you.
I believe many of you reading this article are turning red with rage, screaming "of course I want to be original, creative and innovative but I'm not the problem, it's society; it's everything you just described above, "building tumbling", my boss who makes me work on s@*t projects, clients who refuse to be innovative and don't give me the chance to be innovative, building departments putting its foot on my neck, nobody will give me a chance!!!" Ah, yes, the age old dilemma of life, dreaming vs earning. It's rather easy for me to write an article blasting sheep mentality and persuading you to follow "the dream" but it may not pay the bills. I can attest to that. Choosing to provide the architecture that I believe should be built which at the present moment seems to discourage many and turns others away, I starve, somewhat. Do I make a dime from this blog, seriously, no. I know what it is like to swim against the tide, I live it and happily choose to do so whatever the consequences. I do not advocate living on the streets as a starving artist, please don't. This is what I have learned so far: There are no shortages of people with "genius" ideas trying to "innovate". Whether you are truly talented or not is a bit secondary, either way the world will figure you out sooner or later and respond accordingly. It's what you do next to accelerate that "acknowledgement" is what counts. Some people do nothing or complain how unfair life is, some hire an agent or publicist, some call in a favor, some get lucky breaks, some work harder than the devil to succeed. Yes, but I have a family and kids to feed and cannot take that chance... Yes you do and I don't want you to hurt them with your new found stand, maybe become a "secret conspirator" and try to navigate your way back to innovation slowly. Do I want to go the way of Van Gogh, slicing off my ear, go mad, die penniless, unappreciated, unrecognized while living only to become a smash hit in death? Hell no!!! Someone said it best, I think Edison; it's 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration....keep trying. Even if you are not saluted for your efforts there still is hope read on.
Who is remembered in history, the conformist or the pioneer? You don't want to be remembered for your achievements you say? Then why are you reading this article, oh I forgot it is rather entertaining? Err, maybe not. Is it the safe, I'm not distinguishable from the heard, or those that dare to be different, like Else? Well I never heard of Else Marie, that's OK, Trust me, she will be known long after all those of her era. It is sad but the majority of us (speak for yourself) do not innovate but propagate especially in architecture. Architecture is not the elite stuff on the cover of Architectural Digest or the statement museums, stadiums and skyscrapers found in China or Dubai; that's the exception not the norm, most architecture is propagated spore. Sprawl is a spore that is safe, cheap and easy. So in a world where everyone is looking for attention, not me of course, why do we have so many propagating and not innovating like the Architectural Digest group? Well that's an easy one best demonstrated by our friend the bee. A bee makes its hive in the most efficient shape, the hexagon, which takes the least amount of effort and material to construct. So in equation form (I'm not actually going to calculate this stuff) a given amount of work performed gains the maximum amount of results in hive construction when the bee constructs in hex form. I suppose this goes for us too and our common architecture. That's nature for you and maybe a neat excuse for the sprawl developer but as architects we are not bees and we have evolved and advanced far beyond the insect world. In any event if sprawl looked like a bee hive at a human scale it would probably be pretty cool.
Some of you may feel another exasperating call to arms in reading this article and to be blunt it is. If you're fresh out of college full of hopes and dreams aced your awe inspiring crit's then this article won't make any sense to you but for the rest of us, who, like a recovering addict, have tried, tried and tried again only to read an article that urges you to...well try again it's frustrating I know. Why should you listen to my message when I realize that far greater influences and personalities loom larger than my lone voice. I presume my words won't be taken seriously until I myself become famous. "Truth", is important, but truth, (or anything else), spoken by someone famous is more important I suppose. I just finished watching the movie "Jobs" who no one can dispute was a great innovator and someone who actually changed a culture. I came away from the movie (I have not studied Jobs life at all) feeling pretty good and dismal all at the same time. On one hand this man was an innovative genius, on the other, a failure on some levels particularly in his personal life. The choice to be a creative innovator would mean for Jobs moving mountains, constant struggle, choosing business over friendship, and sacrificing his entire life to his cause. If one great secret is to be learned in becoming a great innovator it's what Jobs said himself: "Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you, and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use" So there is hope and you need not be a super genius or come from wealth or privilege as Jobs did not. Look around you, he is right. You could probably do better than what you see others have done-no truer words could be said when it comes to our suburban sprawl and architecture. If you design it, design something great, people will want it. How do I know? As Jobs said, "How does somebody know what they want if they haven’t even seen it?"
I will leave you with one last analogy and it has to do with the world cup that is being played now in Brazil (June 12,-July 13 2014) or was being played when I wrote this article. I'm not a soccer fan but it is an interesting comparison to innovation. Those players, the best of the best in the world run around tirelessly trying to score that damn soccer ball into the opponents net. They try, try, and try again. Sometimes they don't score and you get a nil to nil game which is not unusual. However when a player finally scores that elusive goal so hard earned and so hard fought for, it is celebrated for the break through that it is. Unlike other sports where scoring is pretty common not so in soccer. You would think the person who just scored that goal discovered the cure for cancer and the fans go equally as crazy as if they just hit the lotto.
Maybe innovation is like that: the best in the world working tirelessly to score that elusive goal...In any event, a true and noble course in life should be to better mankind, in my opinion. Fame, popularity, wealth are all by products, good or bad, to your achievements...AD
Maybe this will help.....you,me:
*Clarification
Dictionary definition- Propagate-spread and promote.
In my title and article I am using the term "propagate" to refer to perpetuating bad architecture.
Who is remembered in history, the conformist or the pioneer? You don't want to be remembered for your achievements you say? Then why are you reading this article, oh I forgot it is rather entertaining? Err, maybe not. Is it the safe, I'm not distinguishable from the heard, or those that dare to be different, like Else? Well I never heard of Else Marie, that's OK, Trust me, she will be known long after all those of her era. It is sad but the majority of us (speak for yourself) do not innovate but propagate especially in architecture. Architecture is not the elite stuff on the cover of Architectural Digest or the statement museums, stadiums and skyscrapers found in China or Dubai; that's the exception not the norm, most architecture is propagated spore. Sprawl is a spore that is safe, cheap and easy. So in a world where everyone is looking for attention, not me of course, why do we have so many propagating and not innovating like the Architectural Digest group? Well that's an easy one best demonstrated by our friend the bee. A bee makes its hive in the most efficient shape, the hexagon, which takes the least amount of effort and material to construct. So in equation form (I'm not actually going to calculate this stuff) a given amount of work performed gains the maximum amount of results in hive construction when the bee constructs in hex form. I suppose this goes for us too and our common architecture. That's nature for you and maybe a neat excuse for the sprawl developer but as architects we are not bees and we have evolved and advanced far beyond the insect world. In any event if sprawl looked like a bee hive at a human scale it would probably be pretty cool.
Some of you may feel another exasperating call to arms in reading this article and to be blunt it is. If you're fresh out of college full of hopes and dreams aced your awe inspiring crit's then this article won't make any sense to you but for the rest of us, who, like a recovering addict, have tried, tried and tried again only to read an article that urges you to...well try again it's frustrating I know. Why should you listen to my message when I realize that far greater influences and personalities loom larger than my lone voice. I presume my words won't be taken seriously until I myself become famous. "Truth", is important, but truth, (or anything else), spoken by someone famous is more important I suppose. I just finished watching the movie "Jobs" who no one can dispute was a great innovator and someone who actually changed a culture. I came away from the movie (I have not studied Jobs life at all) feeling pretty good and dismal all at the same time. On one hand this man was an innovative genius, on the other, a failure on some levels particularly in his personal life. The choice to be a creative innovator would mean for Jobs moving mountains, constant struggle, choosing business over friendship, and sacrificing his entire life to his cause. If one great secret is to be learned in becoming a great innovator it's what Jobs said himself: "Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you, and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use" So there is hope and you need not be a super genius or come from wealth or privilege as Jobs did not. Look around you, he is right. You could probably do better than what you see others have done-no truer words could be said when it comes to our suburban sprawl and architecture. If you design it, design something great, people will want it. How do I know? As Jobs said, "How does somebody know what they want if they haven’t even seen it?"
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| Jobs HS yearbook photo |
I will leave you with one last analogy and it has to do with the world cup that is being played now in Brazil (June 12,-July 13 2014) or was being played when I wrote this article. I'm not a soccer fan but it is an interesting comparison to innovation. Those players, the best of the best in the world run around tirelessly trying to score that damn soccer ball into the opponents net. They try, try, and try again. Sometimes they don't score and you get a nil to nil game which is not unusual. However when a player finally scores that elusive goal so hard earned and so hard fought for, it is celebrated for the break through that it is. Unlike other sports where scoring is pretty common not so in soccer. You would think the person who just scored that goal discovered the cure for cancer and the fans go equally as crazy as if they just hit the lotto.
Maybe innovation is like that: the best in the world working tirelessly to score that elusive goal...In any event, a true and noble course in life should be to better mankind, in my opinion. Fame, popularity, wealth are all by products, good or bad, to your achievements...AD
Maybe this will help.....you,me:
*Clarification
Dictionary definition- Propagate-spread and promote.
In my title and article I am using the term "propagate" to refer to perpetuating bad architecture.
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