no2self.net

The University of North Carolina Press – Tropicalia ‘…In the late 1960s, Brazilian artists forged a watershed cultural movement known as Tropicalia. Although elements of Tropicalia appear in film, theater, visual arts, and literature, the most striking manifestation of this movement is in popular music.. Einstein and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, [...]

John Massengale has been getting understandably upset about the work of the Kolatan / MacDonald studio. And so he should, it’s a fine example of how we architects love to make hard work out of something as simple as putting a few sentences together. Look: We have two primary interests in the chimerical. One has [...]

www.charade.org.uk ‘…Volunteers attempt to memorize a chosen piece of music, film, tv programme, play or book; through a process of walking, memorizing, remembering and reciting, they each attempt to ‘become’ their favourite ‘media asset’…’ – Paging Ray Bradbury (taken from my del.icio.us. linklog, broadcast using deloxom)

Buildings that rock: Architectural dream no.[series summation]* To make a building as satisfying to experience on every level – from the minutest detail to the sum of the whole – as Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing. The feel of the door handles could be sensed from a mile away. It’s place in the urban grain would [...]

Repeat – Writings on Architecture: Bobbing for Mies – Robert Venturi at IIT ‘…he saw Gehry’s bandshell in Millennium Park as carrying on ‘the idea of the great American loft tradition … essentially a loft with applied ornament, which are these potato chips’…’ (via DYWSC?) In Alabama, a Poor County Is Rich in Modern Architecture [...]

Brian Eno: “Not Enough Africa in Classical Music, Architecture” [Tesugen] ‘…Thus, the orchestral composer is open to all the problems and conceits of the architect, liable to be trapped in a form that is inherently nonimprovisational, nonempirical…’ Oof. Peter unearths more Eno genius. Circuit Bent by fastmatt ‘…I take innocent electronic toys from the 80′s [...]

The only bit of Live 8 that made any sense to me was the Who’s performance. They played Who Are You? with the faces of world leaders flashing up behind them and followed it with Won’t Get Fooled Again – one of the best records ever made – meet the new boss, same as the [...]

Buildings that rock funk: Architectural dream no. 654 To make a building whose entrance is as flawless as the beginning of Stevie Wonder’s Superstition. Walking in the door and down the hall during the first thirty seconds would put a spring in everyone’s step. (see previous dream no. 1256)

I’ve been passed a blogging baton. It used to be about music, then Matt Webb decided to let it evolve into a discussion about books. He passed it to Peter Lindberg and now it has come to rest in my ever expanding list of things to do. I’m not usually a big fan of inter-blog [...]

For War of the Worlds fans: I noticed a billboard on the way to work this morning advertising a guest appearance by Jeff Wayne, composer of the 70s musical version, at St. Paul’s Gallery in Birmingham tomorrow night. It’s currently being re-released as a collector’s edition. Remastered, remixed, DVD etc, etc. A whole bunch of [...]