Monthly Archives

June 2009

Jun 30 2009
Love0

Property Porn

By Comment

“Porno is the unconsciousness of culture, the libido of humanity.” (unknown)
A comment from one of our contributors, ‘Helen’, suggested that we explore the proposal of Property Porn. Very well, Helen, we’ll see what we can come up with. Innuendo, for a start, I guess. But first a choice quote or two (seeing as we may be restricted in a choice of images):

My reaction to porno films is as follows; After the first ten minutes, I want to go home and screw; After the first twenty minutes, I never want to screw again as long as I live. (Erica Jong).

But are we even using the right word? Read More

Jun 28 2009
Love0

Ever Near a Fairy-Land

By Comment, News, RANTING

The Architecture Centre pays hommage to the passing of the King (of Pop) pity he wasn’t also a king of architecture. As the Architect’s Journal yesterday said: the ranch was a disneyfied mashup of Queen Anne Style and New England vernacular. Not that I’ve got anything against mash-ups, Charles Jencks & Terry Farrell made them de rigueur for a bit.

Bringing to mind other celeb extravaganzas, such as Graceland (Mark Campbell wrote a rather brilliant essay featuring toe nail clippings in ‘The Pander’ which seems to have disappeared, if anyone has a copy, could you pass it on?), as often discussed is the great work of Brad Pitt (at least he knows how to hire the right help), and not to forget our very own Peter Jackson’s neu-Gothic pile.

Can this be summed up by those concise words: ‘too much money not enough style’?

Jun 25 2009
Love0

bete comme un vrai architecte?

By HISTORY, RANTING

So where have the loquacious architects gone? Have architects become, like the tradition of French painters, dumb… ‘bete’ also suggesting ‘beast’, an animal without speech. It is true isn’t it? If you think of the Athfields and Walkers, not to mention the Fowlers and Waldens, architects used to be rampant orators, at times difficult to shut-up. But now…

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Jun 22 2009
Love0

Ferris Beuller’s Day Off

By Uncategorized

Iconic moments from the tail end of the eighties haunt me still: one of them the propensity for high hair and giant shoulderpads, another being the film Ferris Beuller’s Day Off. Although I never saw it at the cinema, I’ve watched it countless times since on video, cheering along with the crowd to “Save Ferris”, but also to sneak a glimpse of the priceless Ferrari shooting backwards out of the pristine modernist construction of his friend Cameron’s rich dad’s garage. If you haven’t seen it yet – then go and rent the movie now. Stay with it – you’ll hate the sacharine start – and if you, like me, fall in love with the car, the house, the plotline – then help is at hand at least for one of those.

The house, and the iconic garage, have just been for sale, and in doing so the world Read More