I love you MoMA

On our visit to New York City in 2009, we visited MoMA. It was only a quick visit as we were leaving that day, but we got to see what we wanted. Except for the Tim Burton Exhibition, but we later got to see that when it visited Melbourne. These are some of our highlights.

Of course we shouldn't expect anything less than tremendously long lines at MoMA, even during Winter. But one can always rely on a trusty sister to have pre-bought tickets to skip the queue.

 We passed a colossal dinosaur and reached the Architecture.

I liked these sketches. Parc de la Villette, Paris 1982-1998 by Bernard Tschumi.

Up close and personal with Zaha Hadid, you go girl. Parc de la Villette, Paris Project 1982-1983.

 

Very expressive rendering Hans. Volcania, Saint-Ours-les-Roches, Auvergne, France 1994-2001 by Hans Hollein.

 

Superstudio featured The Continuous Monument project, 1969.

There were models too. And budding architects like myself milling around the ideas of the greats.

One of the most exciting parts was seeing fancy furniture, particularly a Le Corbusier Chaise lounge!

  Oh la la!

 

The ideas where amazing, and very photogenic too! It was design heaven.

We oogled at Monet's Waterlillies and were in awe when we got to finally see Van Gogh's Starry Night!

 

Thanks MoMA.

Three things I learned in Architecture school

The things learned in school are not always the things taught. Some things are learned explicitly. They are taught, drawn, explained, diagrammed, represented. Other things are less explicit. They are not said but can be observed, realised, read, imagined, abstracted, or even be thrust upon you as if it were a sign from above.   

Firstly, beauty is not the goal of the architecture, only the result.  I read that somewhere.

Secondly, tutors are not always right. They account for only a small drop in a glass of water. Opinions are never right or wrong. 

Perhaps one of the most profound things I learned was that architecture that becomes famous (or notorious) usually does so because it is controversial. So the more disturbing, strange, lop-sided, dangerous, unconventional and/or ugly the architecture, the more attention it draws. The same goes for personality. It stands out more. Think, Lady Gaga or the Bilbao Effect. This is not always a bad thing, nor is it always a good thing. It won't always stick out against the "norm" either. One day it will be accepted just like deforestation and corruption. In the future we will all be living in twisted sheet metal homes, without windows of course, and dressing in an outfit of tender cuts of meat, seasoned and designer.