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The FORMalists’ Manifesto

the.formalists

The FORMalists’ Manifesto

 

Design for the collective good died with modernism.

FORMalists renounce all obligations to society, and focus solely on the creation of an evolutionary ART automated by perpetual ROBOTIC experimentation.

 

All that matters is the sublime representation of FORM!

 

Site, context, program, precedents, function, accessibility, environmental performance, ecological sensitivity, socio-cultural inclusiveness and designing as if people matter: all these things are irrelevant. Architecture is entirely conceptual, all the time. Architecture is not rooted in physical reality.

 

All that matters is the sublime representation of FORM!

 

Discussions of gravity, practicality, structural integrity, efficiency, rationalism, functionalism, poor doors, toxic materials, modern slavery, air pollution, climate change and sustainability impede our right to create FORM.

Architectural education, then, should be entirely reduced to abstract studies of points, lines, planes, volumes and colors. Death to the specialisms of architectural history, environmental systems, foundation studies, professional practice and structures!

FORM and FORMalists reserve the right to operate independent of empathy and criticism, independent of the pettiness of earth and humanity.

 

All that matters is the sublime representation of FORM!

 

The.FORMalists

 
Apr 26, 15 1:38 pm
,,,,

Totally and Absolutely Completely Full of Shit

TACFC

Apr 26, 15 1:42 pm  · 
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xx__

Is it 1920s again?

Apr 26, 15 2:04 pm  · 
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the.formalists

Who's afraid of formalism?

http://crtl-i.com/PDF/SanfordKwinter-foa.pdf

Apr 26, 15 5:00 pm  · 
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Site, context, program, precedents, function, accessibility, environmental performance, ecological sensitivity, socio-cultural inclusiveness and designing as if people matter: all these things are irrelevant. Architecture is entirely conceptual, all the time. Architecture is not rooted in physical reality.

That pretty much defines architectural education.

FORMalists renounce all obligations to society, and focus solely on the creation of an evolutionary ART automated by perpetual ROBOTIC experimentation.

That pretty much defines parametricism.

FORM and FORMalists reserve the right to operate independent of empathy and criticism, independent of the pettiness of earth and humanity.

That pretty much defines starchitecture.

Apr 26, 15 6:00 pm  · 
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the.formalists

It is pretty much a manifesto.

Apr 26, 15 6:16 pm  · 
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archanonymous

such satire. much laughs.

Apr 26, 15 6:36 pm  · 
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Non Sequitur
Sounds like a terrible first year project.
Apr 26, 15 8:05 pm  · 
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gruen

My building is pretty, is that good enough? 

Oh yeah, it doesn't matter because, as you said, people don't matter. 

I"m going to keep designing ugly buildings because, well, you said so. 

Apr 26, 15 8:23 pm  · 
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the.formalists

Architecture is no longer concerned with 'buildings'. What a blast from the past!

All that matters is the sublime representation of FORM!

 

 

Apr 26, 15 9:03 pm  · 
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,,,,

Beavis Architectuer Inc.

Apr 26, 15 9:23 pm  · 
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chigurh

The ramblings of a man that owns a real doll.

Apr 27, 15 11:34 am  · 
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JLC-1

what is the sublime representation of form?

Apr 27, 15 11:42 am  · 
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midlander

will you be selling t-shirts? I want one, red on white. Thx...

Apr 27, 15 11:48 am  · 
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the.formalists

The FORMalists' revolution will not be t-shirtized!

Apr 27, 15 2:43 pm  · 
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JLC-1

3d printed? jewelrized?

Apr 27, 15 2:44 pm  · 
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chigurh

bedazzled = the sublime representation of FORM!

Apr 27, 15 4:07 pm  · 
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the.formalists

FORM and FORMalists reserve the right to operate independent of criticism. You just don't understand us, and the shapes we're throwing. 

Our ZAHdazzled goods and FORModities will rule the world!

Apr 27, 15 4:18 pm  · 
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JLC-1

Oh , I see now, it's like Kimye.

Apr 27, 15 5:38 pm  · 
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chigurh

nah, it's Brad Pitt and Frank Gehry. 

Apr 27, 15 5:50 pm  · 
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CD.Arch
Go back to whatever ivy-league thinker college that taught you what's important in architecture and kick your professor in the balls. He taught you nothing useful. Thanks.
Apr 27, 15 6:10 pm  · 
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boy in a well

are you flippin pentagrams?

Apr 27, 15 7:56 pm  · 
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awaiting_deletion

does formalism come with Sublime 40 OZ to freedom?

Apr 27, 15 8:35 pm  · 
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the.formalists

We bet you all still sit around and talk about typology and program and function.

How quaint. How traditional. YAWN

Apr 28, 15 8:47 am  · 
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the.formalists

We bet you all still sit around and talk about how great all the POLTICIAL CORRECTNESS in architecture is. YAWN

Apr 28, 15 8:48 am  · 
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curtkram

just the other day i was saying to this guy, 'boy that political correctness is going well in architecture.  there are some crazy kids now days that want to deviate from the political correctness our cabal of architect stylists has forced on the profession.  maybe we should write a manifesto for political correctness?'  unfortunately the conversation stopped there and the manifesto didn't get written.

i think i'll start with 'the sublime formal representation of safety as an economic and social indicator of a content population drives the politically correct movement.'  anyone else want to chip in, help write a manifesto for political correctness?

*it should be noted that no events stated to have happen in this post actually happened.

Apr 28, 15 9:11 am  · 
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awaiting_deletion

damn images please! i want to see results.

Apr 28, 15 9:11 am  · 
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null pointer

"Design for the collective good died with modernism."

 

Lost me here brah, the fact that you think that formalist practices aren't based on notions of serving the public good through transgression, and the appropriation of consumerist icons means you're really not in the same boat as we are.

 

and now back to architecture...

Apr 28, 15 9:15 am  · 
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Volunteer

Is anything more tiresome and dreary than the word "manifesto"?

Apr 28, 15 9:28 am  · 
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the.formalists

probably the word 'volunteer', and null pointer you're living in the past. 

Apr 28, 15 9:33 am  · 
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It was a nice troll, very funny, but there's no need to get nasty.

Apr 28, 15 10:27 am  · 
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the.formalists

Miles is right. Stop trolling guys! ;D

archanonymous got it right from the beginning. "such satire. much laughs." 

But in all honesty, several young 'innovative' faculty members from American universities – even the more mediocre non-ivy league ones – are promoting this garbage. Formalism has become like a fundamentalist religion. It is an 'us versus them' routine, where if you are critical, you 'just don't understand'.

This selfish egotistical genre of architecture needs a manifesto that calls out what it is about, so we can clear the air of this ugly, drunken belch and move on. We are sick of having it shoved down our throats. 

Apr 28, 15 11:20 am  · 
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null pointer

Have you stepped outside once in the past 24 hours?

The world is full of shitty buildings. I'll take formalism over vinyl siding and shitty brick ANY FUCKING DAY.

Apr 28, 15 12:33 pm  · 
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the.formalists

Yes, ahem, and now back to architecture...

Apr 28, 15 1:24 pm  · 
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Non Sequitur

when was this thread about architecture?

Apr 28, 15 1:26 pm  · 
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the.formalists

Apparently when null pointer's vinyl siding entered the mix. But arguably there is a difference between 'architecture' and 'buildings', the latter presumably being clad in vinyl siding?

Apr 28, 15 1:33 pm  · 
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Non Sequitur

I've never specified vinyl siding.

Apr 28, 15 1:52 pm  · 
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SneakyPete

Aw, man. I was hoping you'd never break character. 

Apr 28, 15 8:38 pm  · 
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awaiting_deletion

never break characater -

"But in all honesty, several young 'innovative' faculty members from American universities – even the more mediocre non-ivy league ones – are promoting this garbage. Formalism has become like a fundamentalist religion. It is an 'us versus them' routine, where if you are critical, you 'just don't understand."

 

boooooo

Apr 28, 15 8:45 pm  · 
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where if you are critical, you 'just don't understand 

Sounds like some of the discussions here.

Apr 28, 15 11:27 pm  · 
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archanonymous

Form is nothing. Death is inevitable. Void is all. Even the most beautiful buildings crumble and turn to dust in time. It is the human experiences they engender which make architecture transcendent.

 

Or something.

Where's the bourbon?

Apr 30, 15 11:54 pm  · 
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awaiting_deletion

"Function follow forms" - Olaf Design Ninja, Opening Speech at Formalists Convention (2015)

May 1, 15 7:30 am  · 
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awaiting_deletion

Newsource: Shortly after the Formalists Convention Olaf was beatin' silly by Modernists in ski masks. The Formalist gangs have now made a treatise with the Neo-Traditionists in hopes to provide proper opposition to the Modernists. It was later revealed that a few modernists had mistaken Olaf as the.formalists and that the.formalists after breaking character turned out to actually be a Mies van der Rohe groupie.........the followers of the faith are currently in turmoil, many joining the church of scientology promoting Ron Hubbard for a post-humous pritzker.

May 8, 15 7:17 pm  · 
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curtkram

whatever happened to the politically correct manifesto?

May 8, 15 8:02 pm  · 
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