the democratization of art?
read an interesting article yesterday about how difficult it has become to design innovative buildings at harvard these days. seems to be a case of residents feeling they were left with eyesores and bad planning in the past, and in consequence they refuse to allow anything that seems to be headed in a similiar direction.
the most recent curfuffels came with proposed plans for two art museums to be built by renzo piano, one of the world’s greatest living architects. one museum was to house contemporary art, and the other ancient, Islamic, and Asian art. the design concept called for two-story wooden buildings virtually hidden by a screen of trees.
still habouring feelings of distrust from the past, and worried about increased traffic to the neighbourhood, the community managed to oppose and veto the proposed plans and now seem to face the prospect of having the site developed as 3 to 6 story student housing with a small public park and 40 units of affordable community housing.
so who wins in this situation? on the one hand, some sort of justice seems to have been served since a democratic process allowed residents to voice their concern and distrust at community development projects led by harvard. however, what they seem to have succeeded in doing is thwarting plans by a world-class designer who was proposing a bucolic and tactful public institution and space from appearing in their community. and instead, they will now receive more of the same urban infill, which is almost always thoughtless and without artistic merit, and seldom adds anything important to a place.
the reason this story strikes me is because i have some contact with this world of citizen democracy, in a number of settings, but also with the world of architecture. and the frustrating part is … communities sometimes make horrible decisions!
but of course, it’s their right. but that right will compromise that community for at least the medium-term, and maybe the long-term. in such an equation, what weight should be granted to someone familiar with ideas of design, community and place, and what weight should be granted to those who already live there but might not have the faintest clue as to what makes their place (or any place) liveable?
i am certainly not saying community groups should be ignored in community planning, but i do think we have to acknowledge that sometimes it’s the boldest move (at first unpopular) that has the biggest and most profound impact.
c.
