A quick collage I did to suggest a future London topography: Buckingham Palace finds itself under the resurfaced Tyburn river (currently buried), which also makes Westminster and Big Ben into an island (as it was, until the 18th century); London Pool has become a massive tidal marsh and most of the suburbs have been turned to tilled fields. Only the very core of the old city remains with its 2 million inhabitants, each one perturbed by the primordial dreams that visit them in their restless sleep...
More on the present struggle with a new architectural zeitgeist early next week: below another rapid image demonstrating 'human geology' – an amazing map from 1863 of the geology of England and Wales (London zoom) (legend).
Awesome project, keep us informed on how it goes. The London Renaissance you referred to earlier, are you considering this a sort've worldwide phenomenon, where pilgrims come from China or India to study the sublime and paint Billy Turner knock-offs? What would be the impetus for something like this to happen?
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting take on it - unfortunately I had all the steam knocked from my sails when my tutors pointed out that it sounded like all I was doing was proposing a neo-post-modernism.
ReplyDeletePhh.
The work I am doing directly at the AA is over at Inter 7 to keep Millennium People 100% Millennium Pure.
If the world population declines, as I fervently hope it will over time (lest Malthus be proved right), then this will become an issue facing the sprawling cities... How will they shrink? Will it be a sea of abandoned and rotting buildings (like half the Soviet Union is now) or will it be something more akin to your collage. I wonder if we'll be around to watch.
ReplyDeleteIt's a bit like watching any of those disaster films – the heros are driving along and suddenly an asteroid rips across the sky and you're all like 'wow. that's awesome, I wish I could see that, but not be there.' and then you suck on your coke and pop some corn and realise that's exactly what is happening. I guess I like dreaming about the architectural equivalent of this double-think desire to indulge in destruction. *Nods at Ballard*
ReplyDelete