Wednesday, May 10, 2006

The Architectural Critic's A-ha Moment

John King, writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, says that critics should do more than look at "New Works by Big Stars." I hope his peers were listening. . . Here's an excerpt below. You can find the link to the entire article here.

"An architecture critic isn't musing on a branch of art that is tucked away in a gallery or a bookstore or a multiplex or a television set. We're entrusted with the urban landscape that everyone shares, from museums to strip malls and sidewalks to skyscrapers. . . .That's a responsibility -- and an exhilarating one.

Developers aren't likely to lop 10 floors off a building or build the thing out of granite based on a critic's contempt. But as you build your case over time, readers might begin to demand more from the buildings and open spaces that frame their lives."



Via ArchNewsNow.com

2 comments:

Michael R. Allen said...

King makes great points in a short, readable essay. I guess that he practices what he preaches!

Thanks for pointing his article out.

J R said...

Yes, he did. It made me want to seek his writing out in the future.