Creating Feeling with Frank Gehry

Summary

The speaker emphasizes the unique aesthetic of each individual's signature as a metaphor for the distinctiveness of architectural art. They highlight the emotional connection that great architectural works establish with visitors, transcending time. The speaker finds the challenge of creating artful buildings in Paris, amidst renowned institutions, both daunting and thrilling. They advocate for architecture as not only an art form but also a social responsibility, providing shelter and a sense of belonging. The shift from modernism to postmodernism, which leans towards historicism, is critiqued, with a call to explore more innovative and expressive forms like those inspired by fish, which embody movement. The speaker's passion for art and architecture is evident, as they liken their creative process to a regatta and seek to convey a sense of movement through their designs.

Takeaways

• 🖋️ Signatures and Aesthetics: The speaker emphasizes that individual signatures and aesthetics are unique, akin to their own and not replicable by others.
• 🏛️ Architecture as Art: Great works of architecture are described as expressive, conveying emotions from the architect to the viewer across time.
• 🇫🇷 Challenges in Paris: Building for art in Paris is challenging due to the competition with numerous esteemed institutions.
• 🤔 Perception of Architecture: Most people do not view architecture as an art form, which is a misconception as it also serves a social purpose.
• 🏗️ Social Conscience in Architecture: The speaker highlights the importance of architecture in providing shelter and a sense of belonging to people.
• 🎨 Art of Architecture: There is a suggestion that architecture sometimes falls short of fully embracing its artistic potential.
• 😕 Discontent with Postmodernism: The speaker expresses dissatisfaction with the postmodernist return to historicism, finding it disturbing.
• 🐟 Inspiration from Nature: The idea of drawing inspiration from fish, which express movement, is introduced as a new paradigm for architectural design.
• 🎭 Freedom of Expression: The speaker found exploring fish shapes as a form of architectural expression liberating and akin to opening Pandora's box.
• 💖 Art as Love: Making art, and by extension architecture, is described as an act of love towards the world.
• 🎨 Influence of Artist Friends: The speaker's life and explorations are heavily influenced by their artist friends, which shapes their perspective on creating emotional architecture.
• 🛳️ Movement in Buildings: The speaker prefers buildings that convey a sense of movement, inspired by their love for sailing.
• 🏙️ Emotional Transfer: There is a profound belief in the ability of architecture to transfer emotions through its materials, which is seen as remarkable.

Q & A

How does the speaker describe the uniqueness of individual aesthetics in architecture?

The speaker compares individual aesthetics to signatures, stating that just as no two signatures are the same, each person's aesthetic is unique to them.

What does the speaker believe about the emotional impact of architecture?

The speaker believes that great works of architecture can express feelings and emotions that can be transferred from the architect to the observer across time.

Why does the speaker find it challenging to build a building for art in Paris?

The speaker finds it challenging because Paris is home to many great institutions, and building a new structure for art means competing with these established entities.

What is the speaker's perspective on architecture being considered an art?

The speaker notes that most people do not think of architecture as an art form, and while it is an art, it is also an act of social conscience, as it involves creating spaces for people.

How does the speaker view the role of architecture in society?

The speaker views architecture as a social act that provides shelter and a sense of being loved and accepted to all kinds of people.

What does the speaker find disturbing about the return to historicism after modernism?

The speaker finds the return to historicism, referred to as postmodernism, disturbing because it does not push the boundaries to become the art of architecture.

What inspired the speaker to explore fish shapes in architecture?

The speaker was inspired by a comment made during a lecture about Greek temples being anthropomorphic, which led to the idea of looking back 300 million years to fish for architectural inspiration.

How does the speaker describe the language of fish shapes in architecture?

The speaker describes fish shapes as a rich language that expresses movement, which was a new paradigm and playground for architectural expression.

What does the speaker equate making art to?

The speaker equates making art to an act of love and making love to the world, emphasizing the emotional connection in the creative process.

What is the speaker's approach to understanding and creating art with buildings?

The speaker studies art extensively and has friends who are artists, which influences the exploration of creating feelings with buildings, particularly focusing on the sense of movement.

How does the speaker view the challenge of creating a sense of movement in architecture?

The speaker enjoys the challenge of giving buildings a sense of movement, as most buildings are static, and finds the transfer of feeling through materials like bricks, mortar, and steel to be amazing.