Death of An Architect

Death of An Architect, Erratic Behaviour, 2013.

Greek

Humanist

Baroque

Deconstructivism

Nature

Heritage

This is what it all boils down into; the mass of blood and sinew of the tragic slaves; and ideas by great minds of the past. It is the Death of An Architect.

It all began with the Greeks, the masculine sculptures were so rigid, then through the passing of time, they gradually softened and flowed. Carving marble and stone like butter, creating timeless works of art, the classical.

The Humanist movement during the Renaissance was an essential event or happening through the timeline of Architectural history. In the 14th, stretching to the 15th century; collections of intellectual Greek and Roman teachings began a trend of scholasticism, leading many to become "learned" men instead of just a lowly peasant. This movement initially commenced in Italy, before gradually expanding throughout the rest of Europe.

15 centuries after the extinction of the Ancient Greeks, the Baroque was born from the dying flames of the Renaissance. Emotional and symbolical, the Baroque draws influences from the Classical, which is then injected with geometrical rationales and lush decorative elements, giving birth to one of the most important styles of architecture of all time. 

This artwork draws influences from Borromini's many works, and in many ways than one, is considered as a tribute to the great architect by the artist.

In the late 1980s, deconstructivism evolved from the "deconstruction" theory, which (in the artist's understanding) may be simply put as 'stripping a structure down to its basic key elements, then restructuring and reassembling it. It seems to a form a structure based on a series of restrained "chaos", with an array of unpredictability to it'.

In the artwork, the deconstruction theory is illustrated by the "taking apart" of the Gehry's Guggenheim, and the immense sails of the Sydney Opera House. 

"When a sphere is exploded, all that remains are the bits and pieces that makes the sphere, a sphere."

Erratic Behaviour, 2013.

To the artist, 

"Architecture is merely an art of formalized plagiarism, where ideas are copied visually". 

Erratic Behaviour, 2013.

Visual stunners are one thing, but the feel and spirit of the transformation of a space into a place, is what makes architecture, well, architecture.

As one of the most influential environment surrounding us, nature has been meticulously analysed and copied for its ingenuity. However, instead of appreciating the tree of ideas and knowledge (no pun intended), we ravage the land, and scourge the Earth. 

"It doesn't make sense. We destroy nature, just to mimic it. Why?"

Erratic Behaviour, 2013.

Finally, our history.

The history of mankind serves as a reminder, a guide, and a lesson; to and for the future lest we forget.

"We are keen to learn from history, but nobody seems to care to preserve it"

Erratic Behaviour, 2013.

We build great cities and superstructures that reflect on our architectural feats. It shows our prowess and greatness as the King of the Universe (or something like that). Yet we forget that in the event of permanent removal of the historical and heritage laden buildings of our past lives, we are likely to erase and delete our present, and our future.

"What do we learn, when there is nothing left to be learnt?"

Erratic Behaviour, 2013.

*     *     *     *     *

REMINDER: This is just what the author/artist/ I believe the artwork portrays in an attempt to convey the digested knowledge from the past few months. (There is a bibliography, but there's too much to list out. FYI, it's not wikipedia).

Please correct me, if any information written above is incorrect. This is based on the understanding of what I learnt.

Thank you.

Erratic Behaviour