Originally, artists and architects esteemed imitation. Historians know this from a variety of Greek and Roman sources such as, for example, the writings of the Roman educator Quintilian (b. AD 35) who in his Institutio Oratoria (Education of an Orator) states: “there can be no doubt that in art, no small portion of our task lies in imitation, since, although invention came first and is all-important, it is expedient to imitate whatever has been invented with success, and it is a universal rule of life that we should wish to copy what we approve in others.”
Read More2022-2023
Innovation Envy /
In our time innovation talk seeps into every corner of our world from popular culture to education, elementary through university. We celebrate the innovators--the Apples and Teslas. Innovate or die is our mantra. But what is innovation, when, and how does it take place and toward what end? How might we receive and apprehend the value of innovation in technology, engineering, or science differently than we do in art? And where in the practice of architecture (engineering and art) are we in most need of innovation?
Read MoreRoom for More and Never Enough /
The nursery school model of the workplace that the guys at Google introduced to the world a quarter century ago may finally have exhausted its novelty. It was supposed to usher in a new era in how we think about work and the workday, collaboration, innovation, and creativity. It spawned the term “creative office space.” It was according to Google’s straight-out-of-college founders modeled not so much on the nursery school play yard as it was the college dorm (obviously) although like a play yard there are few rooms to speak of and instead mainly areas for computer stations, snacks, and playing around.
Read MorePetrified /
We employ preservation tactics to preserve personal memories and soothe nerves. We want to petrify our environments because we are petrified.
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