About two years ago I attended a lecture by the well known author of books and television programs Alain de Botton. The lecture dealt basically with the question of architecture's role in our lives, fundamentally the question of which is more important "form" or "function".
Attached is a picture of a small building on the corner of George and Hunter Street here in Sydney. A plaque on the wall explains that it is one of Sydney's oldest buildings and was originally a hotel. There are beautiful examples throughout Sydney of the cities early years still standing, with many (perhaps most!) in outstanding condition. Fine examples are the Queen Victoria Building, The Strand, and Government House. However, I chose the modest building on George Street for it's simplicity, small size and subtlety.
I've always been a practical person, perhaps in some ways a minimalist and you will find in my apartment all objects have a purpose and function. Aesthetic form has never been a priority as I have usually considered it wasteful and difficult to maintain. But the unusual thing is I adore these old and beautiful buildings. They are impractical, costly to maintain, occasionally out of place in a modern city, and take up space where we could build something much more useful. The thing is though, as Sydney evolves into goodness knows what in the future, these structures represent beacons of history, anchor points from which the stories of our development and the people involved are tethered making it easier for us today to understand our past. They are not just brick and mortar, they store the attitude of their days and keep reminding me that "the more things change, the more they stay the same".
Many questions about our future, were answered in our past.
Todays shout out goes to the visionaries that fight for the conservation of historic buildings. They are not only visionaries, they are also futurists as they can see how important these buildings will be.
Todays shout down goes to attempts to demolish such buildings - "Historical Vandalism".
"Time Capsules, Aboveground", by Dan the VespaMan.
Built by hand
Restored with grace,
Our historic resources
Bring a smile to my face.
We strive for progress
Which is a relentless tide,
Lets give our memories
A place to reside.
Conversely, are there any modern buildings you would like to see preserved, memorialised for years to come?
ReplyDeleteHi Jay,
ReplyDeleteThat's a difficult one. For many modern buildings their hasn't been a chance for people to form an emotional attachment, a connection that makes it a special place. The lack of history in a modern building somewhat reduces my desire to preserve it. It doesn't take long, however, before these buildings develop that sense of history.
I think of places like sports stadiums, concert venues, and even airports as significant as they were places where I experienced events that I will never forget. When I hear of them outliving their usefulness and being demolished I get a little sad as my memories are linked to them.
I just wonder if perhaps we are at a crossroads of having buildings tell the stories of the past. Our current events are being recorded digitally and will be easily accessible in years to come, so will future generations actually need to see the physical buildings that we use today to understand our times?