Okay, so it turns out that my previous promise of posting this blog immediately after the last was a little empty! Although having this extra time, allowed me to look over what, to me, was one of the hardest texts to get my head around so far. It wasn’t necessarily the concept of the piece that I struggled with, as this was introduced before having it set through the analogy of Kevin McCloud, Grand Designs and TV of that nature (more on this later on). I think I struggled more with the language of the piece and it’s overall length, which unfortunately put me off the read from the start (an awful excuse I know).
Lefebvre’s piece deals with the ideas and concept we have of ‘social space’ and sets out to bring explore the idea of a ‘work’ and a ‘product.’ Exploring theories from Marx, Hegelianism and Engels, Lefebvre comments on how they narrow the concept of production down, where in this world only ‘things’ or ‘products’ are considered – ‘a state of mind for economists’. Lefebvre considers this view banal and narrow minded as the world is of course filled with objects and forces that are not ‘produced’ with any added agenda. Surely objects in nature cannot be seen to be ‘products’ with an economic intent. Siting Silesius’s ‘it cares not if it is seen’ Lefebvre states that:
‘A rose has no why or wherefore; it blooms because it blooms.’
I believe that this one statement brings a sense of clarity to what Lefebvre is getting at, and draws out a fundamental point to be considered. One of intent.
He moves on from this to site the example of Venice as a city, stating that it is not a ‘work of art’ but instead a ‘product of nature.’ This caused confusion for me at this point, as the combination of the words product and nature to my understanding, insinuated that a natural intent could not be possible (as in the case of the rose). I agree that Venice has become a place that is very much governed by natural events and has been risen and controlled by the sea (a natural force) in a number of ways, it has still only become a city on the back of mass human intervention with an ‘intent’ to create a grand place in which to habit. What is interesting in the case of Venice is the anticipation it and the rest of the world has with it’s own imminent downfall. Much like in nature, we look upon a flower and admire its beauty but always with the bitter knowing, that it will soon wither and die. Venice, unlike other cities that often fall by human intervention, is likely to soon be reclaimed by the sea.
It would appear then that there is no real definition between a ‘work’ and a ‘product’ in the case of Venice as ideas of both intent and forces in nature have amalgamated to become what we consider to be ‘beautiful.’ But how do we define this concept of beauty? Stand back and look at Venice… this apparent harmony between nature and architecture appears so beautiful it could only be a ‘work of art.’ But look on a more human scale and really get deep in there and the very idea of the place, both structurally and practically is almost ludicrous (which can be seen by the money now being spent to prevent its impending death). A perception of beauty is often one that comes on a personal level, and as in most cases when a great mass of people view something from a far it is easy for this perception to become distorted. TV and mass media play a disturbingly important and powerful part in this in the modern day world.
‘It is my job to find out what people like…’ Kevin McCloud
What an incredibly hollow thing to say!
Grand Designs is a program that most architectural students love to hate, however I must admit, when it was a lot less popular and just starting I did enjoy it. With it’s increasing popularity, the program is no longer geared towards the clear and concise explanation of projects on a practical and aesthetic level. Rather, it has become a machine that to the mass public appears to explain and give answers to everything, but explains nothing. If nine out of ten people watching think it looks ‘pretty,’ it is likely Kevin is going to agree. As my wife often says, ‘what use is a kitchen where you can’t find the oven?!’
In conclusion, I don’t agree that these concepts can clearly be defined as one or the other. From reading into the text, and applying it to modern living it seems that these ideas should be carefully looked at and considered as individuals and perhaps we should realise the power the mass media has on us to make decisions. Making our own judgments on a more close, careful and informed level.
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