In November 2017, four years after her father’s death, Soleri’s youngest daughter, Daniela, published an essay on medium.com, claiming that her father had sexually abused her and attempted to rape her as a teenager. She had told some of Soleri’s inner circle decades earlier, she wrote, and they had done nothing. — The Guardian
Steve Rose of The Guardian explores the legacy of architect Paolo Soleri, both sordid and visionary.
The in-depth article delves both into the history of Arcosanti and Soleri's heroic status while also highlighting the architect's toxic relationships with various women, including his daughter, Daniela, who he sexually abused. The article, published before the recent announcement that the Taliesin School of Architecture would relocate to Arcosanti from Taliesin, is worth revisiting amid the ongoing reckoning taking place with regards to abuses of power within architecture.
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What's stunning is that Taliesin thought that this was the place to join their future. I mean, I'm some perverse way it makes sense, but honestly, all the bloviating they did last year looks really hollow now. But hey, they make cool bells, amiright?
The man's intransigencies aside, is his work worthy of such research and accolades? It seems to be in its own wonderland.
monosierra—
I’ve visited both Arcosanti and Cosanti several times.
Yes, in some ways the projects are worthy of investigation on their own merit. It’s rumored that George Lucas visited both sites in the 70’s and used the architecture as inspiration for the scenes on Tattooine.
Soleri developed some site-specific silt-cast concrete techniques which although quite impressive for what they are, but not sure if theres much economy of scale for the process, especially the extra aesthetic flourishes added as a relief to the cast panels and vaults.
After all, big box stores all around the country use precast/tilt up concrete construction all the time and precast concrete panels that are typically used things like freeways are increasingly becoming popular cladding elements on some projects. I personally love the versatility of pre-cast concrete, for panels and for other architectural and site elements.
Soleri also had a pretty radical utopian vision for his projects that aspired to house 60,000 people in some type of megastructure which was infeasible for various reasons ranging from financing to engineering, hydrology, and of course it’s difficult to find 59,950 more individuals who are interested in living that way.
So yeah, aside from the bespoke, site-specific, and utopian leaning nature of Soleri’s work, I would say there’s not much to glean from his work unless you’re really interested in that type of projective world-building fantasy-land. You’re right in the sense that Soleri created a world unto itself… In many ways I love the work because of how stimulating and imaginative it is, but I think it is more interesting to learn from the idiosyncrasies of Soleri’s vision than it’s possible to mine the projects for much else.
To b3ta's point above, these are also reasons why I mentioned in a previous thread that it's such an odd partnership between Talesin and Cosanti, not just because of the ideological disparities (despite the fact that Soleri worked for FLW, they definitely have differing opinions on the built environment which is apparent when deeply comparing their work), but especially because I highly doubt the efficacy of Cosanti's facilities to operate a proper architecture school.
sorry, correction.... arcosanti was supposed to eventually house something more like 5,000 people. my numbers are crap sometimes. anyway... I highly suggest visiting Arcosanti and Cosanti for anyone reading this (if they haven't had a chance to already).
I wonder why the sister refuses to speak on the matter. Perhaps she doesn't want to be drawn into this? Or that she doesn't know who to believe in?
You say "toxic relationships with various women" and while he seems to have used his status to sleep with young women, there is no other evidence I see here that side was illegal. Or that his inner circle was aware. Chances are they had no idea because she never said anything until now. It's problematic to throw out a legacy based on the memory of one person--even if it seems believable. Kind of the same thing with Mia Farrow and Tara Reade. People have agendas.
Makes the case even stronger that there should be a separation between work and life. Work is influences by personal life, but once it is "born" it becomes an independent entity in the world.
So, we can gather from your insightful comments, that you're okay with a father raping his daughter? Because in your mind, it was a relationship with a younger woman?
Legality as a measuring stick for morality. It's a lovely thing; you can use it as a cudgel AND a shield depending on how you feel any given day.
"there is no other evidence...that his inner circle was aware."
Yes there is, in the linked article and many other statements.
When did I say that would be okay? This is exactly the kind of generalization, logical leaps and language that bring doubts to mind. "the inner circle was aware" of what exactly? That he was a creepy old man?
Just imagine a hypothetical where the daughter has psychological issues (alluded to by her "dream" and psychology-speak and very broad language). So all of a person's accomplishments and legacy should be tarnished because of this? That's what people dislike about Cancel Culture--a non-legal means of mob punishment and character assassination. Doesn't mean it's not true. But take the allegations as what they are--allegations. Not proven fact. It seems our current culture just wants to make the logical leap to feel a sense of moral superiority.
Since you brought up logical leaps; you're suspiciously eager to develop a narrative (without any evidence) that exonerates the man and instead assumes the victim is untrustworthy.
"In November 2017, four years after her father’s death, Soleri’s youngest daughter, Daniela, published an essay on medium.com, claiming that her father had sexually abused her and attempted to rape her as a teenager. She had told some of Soleri’s inner circle decades earlier, she wrote, and they had done nothing. "
Again, this is one persons account. And it’s her account of telling people in the past. It’s not anyone’s prerogative to argue with her, even if they didn’t believe her. But the article also includes whispers of doubt. And whispers of guilt. So believe what you want. Just think the media should be a little more responsible with their words—it’s not a hypothetical, it’s a situation that has happened many times—like the satanic panic mass hysteria of the 80s.
Yeah, no. You have every right to bury your head in the sand and only listen to the parts where the victim is cast as crazy or lying, but the rest of us don't need to validate that crap.
I wonder why a victim could POSSIBLY choose to not supply me with endless recounting of their trauma so I may decide for them whether they are lying or not. I WONDER.
I’m sure you’ll be the first to scream “due process” when your day comes. Which I’m sure it will — the most self-righteous are always the biggest hypocrites.
This is where the rubber meets the road, she wrote that people were told decades ago, if it's false, then they should say it's a fabrication. Their silence is proof, you clown.
What's concerning is not that you claim to believe in "due process" but that you pop up to yell about it every time and only when claims of sexual assault are discussed.
I've said this many times before on this website and elsewhere: you can learn a lot about what people believe in by paying less attention to what they say and more to what inspires them to speak up.
Oh right, another claim without evidence. I agree, you can tell a lot about people — how few people here think critically and believe in fairness and common sense. If you don’t follow the mob conventional wisdom, you are guilty by association. Let’s see where this religion works out for you. There’s already a cottage industry of Freudian historical revisionism, so theres plenty of $$ and status to be made in it.
R
This site is still so buggy, lol
Why can't people figure out how to edit their posts? You've got five minutes to fix the damn thing.
The problem people have with your comments, is that you take a moment of rampant hysteria, that occurred in the 1980's and decide to apply that this instance. This woman said she was abused, the Arcosanti community has never denied the claims, and yet, here you are, with no evidence to the contrary, saying there was this time 30+ years ago, and we should measure her claim based on that fraudulent event.
Both are fucking heinous, as is your bloviating.
A slurry of toxic chemex, if you will.
Critical thinking is heinous, yes. What set me off here is the implication that after her “revelation” in 1993 about another undefined behavior everyone should immediately jump up and and run out of arcosonti. Even when she stayed on board. So she’s holding everyone up to this standard that even she couldn’t. Meanwhile nobody will talk about it, for fear of what exactly. There’s just too much murky information here to warrant the kind of sloppy thinking circulating here. And if you think mass hysteria is the past, you aren’t paying attention to current events.
"There’s just too much murky information here to warrant the kind of sloppy thinking circulating here."
You're right but only if you limit "here" to mean "within this post".
And there is a bug here when you use mobile devices. But I guess experience isn’t subjective
Alright enough explaining common sense to morons. Later, conspicuously woke lemmings!
OK, I'll stop trying, then. Thanks for letting me know you can't be taught so I won't waste any more time!
Like I said, I'd take you more seriously if you "explained common sense" in some situations that didn't involve racism or sexual assault but those seem to be the main things that inspire you to get on a soapbox, which is suspicious.
Spring Valley, Arizona and Arcosanti, Cordes Junction, Arizona have the location that Phoenix needed. It is unfortunate that the Arizona legacy is marred by abuse scandals.
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