30.6.08

there just aren't enough manifesto's these days....

But I found one that I like. It speaks about what Jordan and I were going for in our solar decathlon house in much more blatant and forceful (and intelligent) terms.


http://www.mantownhuman.org/


Go to the Our Position section.

Excerpt:
We believe that a more critical, arrogant, and future-oriented cadre of architects and designers can challenge the new eco-centred, beurocratic, anti-intellectual, fragmentary, localising consensus and in this way can lay the ground rulesfor overcoming the cozy rut in which architecture now finds itself. To do so requires a stance against the prevailing culture of pessimism, so that a new, more exciting, more challenging, more assertive architecture can emerge as part of a more strident society.


We assert the right to experiment with new forms, processes, and materials regardless of their environmental provenance. We fundamentally oppose those who downplay aesthetics in the service of the so-called natural world, but, in the service of the human centered world, we do not to decry the creation of buildings that prioritize utility and functionality irrespective of aesthetic sensibilities. We suggest that architects should dare to fail. Good architecture need not have an ethical dimension. 'Responsible' architecture is safe and seldom 'Good'. 'Good' architecture need not be responsible.

26.6.08

This is a design for the Porsche Museum by Delugan Meissl Associated Architects from Vienna, Austria. They just won 1st place in a competition in Amman for a ‘Darat King Abdullah II' center (like another "hey united states, i have a huge dick" moment from the mid east). The design for it is here.
Unfortunately they lost to Zaha Hadid.... Hadid's design was just another recycled hadid idea... terrible.... The other proposals were equally blah, especially Portzamparc's. That firm has gone downhill since Borel left.
Anyways, here's the Porsche museum which I like. Kind of like a merge between Preston Scott Cohen, Neil Denari, and Zaha Hadid (old days)





studio gang's aqua tower



Really quite dissapointed in this building so far... Extraordinarily boring for such an interesting firm. Been to the site a few times, and it seems pretty shoddy... I guess its better than the Trump fiasco...




Essentially just a rectangular building with extended floorplates. Not only is it far more expensive, but it is taking much longer to build because they have to pour each floor individually, wait for it to dry, then move all scaffolding. Similar to how cathedrals were built in the middle ages.







These images don't really show the dense context it's actually in. and that last image doesn't show the gehry plopped right in front of it... I'm also kind of mad by that last image... I mean come on... Its competing against one of my fav. skyscrapers in the city... Oh well.

25.6.08

gas receipt circa 1930

This is a receipt from my great grandmother. pretty telling really..... Not the gas cost at the bottom of the list.

23.6.08

one of the worst things i've seen in a while. well rendered i guess but damn.... archtiects shouldn't be colorblind. it should be a requirement.

graham parks

I kinda like these landscape type things. it'd be neat to use one of these prints for the background for a rendering. not sure if that's moral or not.... it'd still be intense and really really pretentious








That last one gives me ideas.....

found via suckerpunch

Graham Parks

17.6.08

Charlie Patton


Can't get enough of this lately....

Patton was one of the greatest blues players of all time. He is also one of the most underrated. Considered the Father of the Delta Blues, he got Robert Johnson, Howlin'Wolf and John Lee Hooker on their way (JLH then got BB King on his way and Johnson got Muddy Waters).

He is also from the same area as my dad. Hinds County (Vicksburg) represent.

Devil Sent the Rain
Mississippi Boll Weevil Blues
Shake it and Break It
Spoonful Blues
So Lollapalloza just announced their schedule. Headliners are exactly as I thought... Here's my schedule.
+Means I intend to be very drunk
* Means I am going to this cause I know there will be hot girls, not the music

Friday:
12:15 Black Lips (BudLight)
1:15 Rogue Wave (Myspace)
4:00 The Black Keys (BudLight) +
5:15 Cat Power (Playstation) *
5:45 Grizzly Bear (Citi) +
6:30 The Raconteurs (BudLight)
7:00 ???? Options are The Cool Kids, CSS, Stephen Malkmus ??????
8:00 Radiohead (ATT)

Saturday:
12:15 Margot and the Nuclear SoSo (Myspace)
12:45 De Nova Dahl (Bud Light) *
3:00 Steel Train (BMI)
3:30 MGMT (Myspace)
4:30 ??????? Brand New or Explosions in the Sky??????
5:30 Okkervil River
6:30 ??????? Broken Social Scene, Uffie or Lupe Fiasco?????????
7:30 Sharon Jones and Dap Kings
8:30 Wilco (Bud Light)

Sunday:
12:15 Kid Sister (Myspace) *
1:15 ?????? The Weakerthans or the Whigs???????
2:15 Brazilian Girls (ATT)*
3:30 Black Kids (Citi)
4:15 Iron and Wine (Bud Light)
5:15 Flogging Molly (Playstation)+++
6:15 Gnarls Barkley (ATT)+*
7:00 Girl Talk (Citi) *+
7:30 The National (Playstation)
8:15 Nine Inch Nails (Bud Light)



I'm skipping Kanye cause I don't like his new crap. I'm skipping Rage cause I've seen them and I hate the fan base.

Sunday I may not show up until like 4:15... I don't care about any of those other bands really.

I'm really not sure what to do about the Brand New/ Explosions conunderum. I like Explosions alot now, but I used to really like Brand New and had never seen them....

The Broken Social Scene/Uffie/ Lupe Fiasco thing too is driving me crazy cause they all seem like they'd be fun. I guess it depends on what I'm feeling at the time: hot hipster girls, my latest hipster crush, or hot sorority girls. I don't know BSS too well, but they seem pretty good. Not sure what their live show would be like. Lupe would probably be the best show. Rap tends to do that. Uffie though is soooo cute and I may not ever have another chance to rufie her (seriously. i'm kidding. i'm too cheap to buy ruffies).

12.6.08

so i havn't posted in a while. I've been really busy. not with anything important really.... work out alot, play alot of guitar, and spend alot of time at work. basically alot of alone time.

anyways, i noticed the black keys have added a bunch of new dates. probably happened a long time ago, but still cool. Covington, Kentucky October 10 anyone?

4.6.08

jordan: watch this you will understand






favorite quote:
Arnold: "Watching this its easy to see why this is dedicated to my favorite body part: the ass"

mucca pazza



so i saw this band the other day.... i'm still a little freaked out. seriously... like 30 person marching band playing like bohemian music... its was like if the decemberists took on twenty more people and went back to being happy. insane... the band leader creeped me out too... he's the white bearded guy with the crazy eyes.....
they were definitely fun though. strange warm up for Lucero... i'll call it CircuisCore. yeah.....

www.mucca-pazza.org
www.myspace.com/muccapazza


(pictures from their website)

2.6.08


never hire a builder to design your house.....

1.6.08

so blah..... gehry is now designing skyscrapers.... and to think, doesn't he do enough over compensating already with the crap he designs?
this is a tower in manhattan, ny.