Dear Sci-Arc Staff
I have no other way than to cancel the Sci-Arc exhibition in the Gallery (scheduled in May 25) and the lecture (scheduled the April 6)
The gap of point of view, and the lack of interest for politics and attitudes, reducing the architecture process to a unique design agenda cannot fit with our scenario of production and scenario of speeches.
— new-territories.com
18 Comments
<3
not one to usually talk trash but...
Francios is a pretentious and insular fuck. He taught a studio section next to mine at a school named after a country in south america and was a belittling asshole the whole semester. Sci-arc is better off.
I honestly can't comprehend what that letter says, though I'm intrigued by the accusation of architecture being "trapped by tooling". Probably because I'm misunderstanding it.
"but it is at the level of Sci-Arc staff arrogances and ignorances, which seems to shrink architecture purpose to a simple affair of design agenda"
zing!
My interpretation is that Sci-Arc was interested in how Roche's computational designs were realized through fabrication and or robotics ie the "tooling" or milling or 3d printing and what have you and how they can then be applied to Architecture with a big A. I think Roche wanted to speak less about that and more about his theory and agenda (political/ economical whatever...) and how he was pursuing this through generative algorithms and advanced robotics. This however presents a problem in that I would say most in the field have come to realize that scripting is and can't be a poltical/ economic/ social agenda and is merely another tool in which to design. Hernan diaz alonzo is successful theoretically in that he has sort of removed himself completely from having an "agenda" other than to create the fantastic or grotesque or whatever ie pure form. Roche still seems to think their is a political angle to this who generative form game and sci-arc is calling bull shit.
Roche-
"Our works and attitudes are toxic, animal, dangerous, regressive, politic and computational. "
what a twerp.
archidrama by an archidouce. Pretty amazing that he can even alienate a place like Sciarc which seems to have a pretty high tolerance for attitude and immature antics. I would love to hear him talk about the political and social implications of his skyscraper project modeled after pubic hair. Then again I might have to improve my "Frenglish" since it is completely my fault that his English sucks and his incompetence and lack of language skills is my problem, not his.
bad attitude!
From what I know about R&Sie(n)'s work, I feel like calling it "computational" is misleading. While there may be an element of computation or scripting, it's all usually overshadowed by some context driven factor, generally something involving biology or environment. Sure, it's usually a little fantastic, in the sense that it is beyond reality, but considering the venue in question is SCI-Arc, reality is a topic rarely visited anyway. So I think there is some validity in that there is some larger implications, however unrealistic they might be, to their work.
"My interpretation is that Sci-Arc was interested in how Roche's computational designs were realized through fabrication and or robotics ie the "tooling" or milling or 3d printing and what have you and how they can then be applied to Architecture with a big A."
The idea of SCI-Arc calling bullshit on anyone, if you think about it, is pretty ironic. Having attended SCI-Arc, the reality of this statement is totally wrong. The interest at that school in scripting, computation, and tooling (fabrication, milling, etc.) is purely for the pursuit of one end-goal - cool looking shit. I know they are all up on the computation, tooling bandwagon now that it's super trendy, but there is very little actual interest in the technology, just in the output. Go to any review and find the one student who spent the semester invested in learning scripting and I guaranty that you will find the least interesting looking but best researched and most involved project and a jury that has zero interest in what is on the wall.
I can easily see how the two came to conflict of interest, and although it is a bit of bitch move to complain about it and bail, there is a small part of me that commends the guy for having the balls to stick it to them. I do believe that SCI-Arc is a great school, but they are quickly falling victims to their own pedagogy. Their becoming that pathetic 40-something mother wearing her daughters clothes, trapped under the delusion that she can be perpetually 29. It's time to grow-up SCI-Arc.
architecture/construction/building industry is concerned with politics. unfortunately, it is not interested in the politicultural references that we have encountered in our academic structuralpostmodernmultiplicitperspective exploits but the politics/culture of capitalism/conservatism which translates to an architectural economy that ranges from striptracthousing experience on one end of the spectrum to starchitectspectacle on the other. both of which serve the same end.
"Desalienate"? To remove the salt from a thing while in isolation?
sounds he just had some other stuff to attend at those times and typed that letter after having a few too many drinks - they shouldn't hire flakes in the first place - would spare the students from these capricciosic crapstimpular tantrumios...
The truth
what sciarc ask for is to present a new and original installation for the gallery exhibition. But apparently he refused and being lazy to do one and to came up with these excuses to cancel the exhibition. He knows that he couldn't do it within this short period of time and what he call this "the lack of interest for politics and attitudes", this is all bullshit.....sciarc give him freedom to produce new work.....he just wants an easy way out of this......
Sounds a bit like the pot calling Rebecca Black. LOL
Friday. Friday. Friday. We. We. We... We so excited, but now we not.
Why can't people just say things in simple terms?
Dear SCI-Arc,
You have a pretty good thing going on. A new robot arm doesn't make you cool. Institutionalized rebellion is a bore. Go rip shit up.
Signed,
Easy R&Sie(n)... pass the Roche.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdXUm0sPZMU
what a coward Roche is for not showing up.
it could have been a great moment for him to profess
instead they argued over the fine points of 'to tool or not to tool'
i tend to think this is a hoax sandwich with mayonnaise.
I agree with FadetoBlack - what a coward! If he wants to deviate from some imagined script he feels is being imposed on him, why doesn't he just show up and talk about whatever he wants to? Probably the great man felt slighted somehow and just had a hissy fit.
now that i gather this was not a hoax, i found it an accurate criticism and depiction of not only sci arc but overall most architecture schools and the closed circuit world where they operate as well.
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