Day ONE

So, my first day of the lecture series was in one word...

Overwhelming

Not that bad drowning type of overwhelming but in a way you know you are surrounded by some pretty smart guys and you (a lowly architecture student) are trying to absorb as much of that information. That was me, a sponge absorbing all the information I could. It was a very long lecture, where we sat for about 3 hours listening to these people speak about their respective cities. The only name that I knew or had heard about on the panel of speakers was Joseph Rykwert, so I tried to be particularly keen to what he had to say. The one thing that I found about the lecture that I didnt realize was the fact that it was a lecture. I thought as the name of the event suggested a dialogue, meaning more questions and answers... and more discussion.

All in all it was a great introduction to some of the cities and to get an idea about what is going on in some of these cities and the idea of the museum.

Here are my notes on todays speakers

Louise Noelle Gras : Mexico City

• metropolis to mega-o-polis
• historical ideas/myths of Mexico
• city was built on the eagle and serpent myth
• it was built around water as an island
• city blocks 2x5
• lacked urban and farmland
• sinking city
• 1950 started to become chaotic
• irregular urbanity
• distorder because of lack of bld in center partly because of government impositions
• created sprawl
• 9 million in the city
• 11 million outside
• lots of illegal settlements
• varied insertions of area through the ages
• abandonment of center of city
• city center became a trading ground
• no continuity of urban ideas
• different governments and different urban ideas
• water is a very important part of its infrastructure
• bringing water to the city?
• drying water mantles
• problems with air quality and pollution
• disposal of garbage - contamination of water and air
• congestion of cars/traffic
• lacks architectonic creativity
• dwellings for poorer inhabitants
• sustainability is important
• the city is part of many systems
• comes into being by government, community, environment etc
• lots of different issues that come together to create a city

"Issues of pollution and public transport are enormous for the oldest and largest city in the America, but so are the potential solutions, as documented by a leading writer on Mexican architecture and urbanism."

"Researcher at the National University of Mexico and former editor of Arquitectura/Mexico, Louise Noelle Gras has published books on architects Legorreta, Gonzalez de Leon, and Barragan, plus a guide to Mexico City architecture, amongst many others. In 1988 she was named an Honarary Academian of the Society of Mexican Architects, and Member of the Arts Academy in 1991."

Source: A Dialogue of Cities

Joseph Rykwert : Rome

• square of emperor augustus
• richard meier building next to it
• controversy over blocking the relationship of water
• life adapts to fabric
• fabric adjusts sometimes painfully
• realignment of fabric
• birthday of rome april 21
• in 753-754 rome arose
• ebb and flow of city
• du bellet the poet
• "the dusty ruins"
• "amour de voyage"
• life and fabric interchange
• revive life
• legend of romulus and remus
• the foundation of city
• city of 7 hills
• goddess of vesta
• rome as a square - square meaning can be divided into 4 not as a square persay
• palentine = palace
• palentine hill
• rome is full of sun clocks
• structure of the city was based on the sun
• walls have gates
• burial of dead outside of city
• gate was also an aquaduct
• navona and fountain of bernini
• history and cities change
• pilgrimage of different churches in rome
• bringing pilgrims to the city changed its structure
• fontana architect
• city for pilgrims
• pope sixtus the fourth
• haussman was an influence to roman planners

"The Polish-born, London-based president of CICA and prominent architectural and urban historian will speak on the Eternal City and how new museums are building with its architectural legacy."

"Currently president of CICA, Warsaw-born Joseph Rykwert's distinguished career in academe included appointments at Cambridge (Slade Professor) and the University of Pennsylvania (Paul Cret Professor). Awarded France's Cevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et Lettres and the Venice Biennale's Bruno Zevi Prize in architectural history, Joseph Rykwert's books On Adam's House in Paradise and The Seduction of Place have generated wide influence and broad translation."

Source: A Dialogue of Cities, Wikipedia, UPenn

Desmond Hui: Hong Kong

• reflect the dialogue in itself
• substance, nature and sustenance of dialogue
• cities to museums
• creative and cultural agenda for economic drive
• city of darfun
• artists copying masters
• shanghai
• hubs for creativity
• 36 "parks" for creativity
• commerce and arts
• 8 bridge complex/project
• lifestyle center
• jockey club creative arts center in hk
• west kowloon cultural district - norman foster
• looks similar to fuksas building canopy thing

"University of Hong Kong architecture professor Desmond Hui is highly regarded for his direct critical commentary and interpretive insights on this former entrepot and industrial hub, now re-positioning itself as an information-based knowledge centre, complete with significant investment in new cultural buildings."

"With a professional architecture degree from Cornell and a Ph.d from Cambridge Desmond Hui worked for Toronto's Barton Myers and has published on architectural history and theory. Teaching architecture at the University of Hong Kong since 1990, he is currently director of its Centre for Cultural Policy Research. He is a key planner of the Shek Kip Mei Creative Arts Centre and has been appointed to the HK Chief Executive's Commission on Strategic Development."

Source: A Dialogue of Cities, University of Hong Kong, Wikipedia

Roberto Segre: Rio de Janeiro and Havana

• many symbolic images of havana
• image of the castle in the sky
• cigars, rum, 1950's
• urban structures like collonades
• styles to represent the city
• sculptures and palms as romantic styles
• clasical monuments (think of pilgrimages)
• sugar tabacco as part of the industry, culture and image ... the everyday life
• popularization of aesthetical representation
• architectural influence
• bacardi and culture = consumerism/commercialism and culture
• art deco as an icon of the city
• mcdonalds is tourism... the way that it is familiar to you
• similar but different
• old havana as a museum no one lives there
• for tourists and merchants/business ppl
• cities stagnant because drive of consumerism

"Dividing his year between university appointments in Havana and Rio de Janeiro, Segre is the dean of Latin American architecture critics, with a devilish wit and contrarian take on conventional understanding of the cities south of North America."

"Born in Milan in 1935, Roberto Segre's career as student, professor and critic of architecture has covered the range of Latin America: Argentina, Cuba, then Brazil. He has been awarded honorary degrees and research awards globally, along the way writing the definitive study of post-1959 Cuban architecture and important synthetic works such as America Latina Fin de Milenio and Arquitectura Antillana del Siglo XX."

Source: A Dialogue of Cities, Periferia, ARCOweb