The Poetic Imagination of Isozaki - Essay Example

Interrogation as a Historian Introduction After the 2nd world war, the contemporary of Japan is represented in analogy to a vulnerable living body. That is, the city is characterized by the fact that it is only constructed through the positive and aesthetic will of those who planned it, but also characterized by a sign of its decomposition. In this regard, Isozaki argues that the Metabolists’ attention to the forms of life must be in dialogue with the life’s dialectic (Petit, 2008, p.152). The fact that death cannot be experienced as a firsthand application means that it can only be experienced the image of death and this is the baseline of poetic imagination that characterizes Isozaki works. According to Isozaki, the poetic imagination stands out as the only way to restore architecture at a historical moment especially after it appeared to be ruined by creative lethargy of late-modernism (Petit, 2008, p.153). The poetic work of Isozaki gives a complex analysis of the Japanese city in terms of reflecting to the monstrosities of the disastrous war. The monstrosities highlights the existence of human nature and should, therefore, be included in the image of architecture. Isozaki utilizes the human life motive to make people understand the relationship that exists between the finitude of human life and the precariousness of architectural fantasies. By importantly combining effects of distorting and moving mirrors, image, light and sound, Isozaki develops an effective and bodily experience that turns the mirror image of exhibition hence leading to the realization of abstract and sterile approach of architecture (Petit, 2008, p.153). The linking of the architectural developments to the past experiences, and the related aesthetic of fragmentation, characterizes the contemporary architectural works of Isozaki. In fact, he argued that for an architect to evade mass consumption that might be cast by the technocrat and not abandon design, then the architect must be ready to maintain a relationship with reality, which in most cases is characterizes by ironical and paradoxical (Petit, 2008, p.157). This paper tries to analyze Isozaki Frankenstein architecture project and trying to understand how the project is significant both in relation to the development of city and the emergence of diverse range of medium in everyday life. In trying to do so, several literature will be reviewed. The paper will then review the concepts from other sources in response to the question above. The case study Isozaki utilizes the concepts of paradoxical reference to the past to demonstrate his critical knowingness about the nature of human creativity (Petit, 2008, p.157). This concept, according to Isozaki, was critical in the development of the modern Japan. The architectural development of the city of Japan can be argued to be the work of the attitude of the creative mind towards the world. According to Isozaki, the resulting personal aesthetic was justified by the Japanese tea culture and the spatial arrangements of the objects a tea ceremony. For the modern architecture to develop, then history has to be exhumed. This is shown by the fact that Isozaki wants to revive a city that has not lived to its full potential, the Tsukuba (Petit, 2008, p.157). Through the creation of a Civil Centre, the city was able to attract more inhabitants to occupy the city. This was the work of modern conceptualization of the architectural design in a bid to revive a city that was lifeless, faceless and sterile. It is worth noting that the state of the Tsukuba city was a result of abstract modernist planning as elaborated the CIAM principles (Petit, 2008, p.157). One aspect that Isozaki fully believed on is the concept of integration of ideas and concepts. For a city to stands out, then there should be integration of both the modern and historical architectural designs. For instance, the Tsukuba Center owes its wonderful development to the assemblage of pieces that were cut out from diverse historical contexts and stitched together to form the amazing Tsukuba Centre. According to Isozaki, the development of the building is also characterized by a composite anatomy of recognizable architectural fragments. Arata Isozaki established a style that replicated both Japanese custom and western post- modernism and mannerist impacts. Isozaki in his writings addresses the subject of architecture to a larger extent. Furthermore, he tried to involve Western forms and the traditional forms of his artistic work. In relation to the Isozaki frankenstein architecture project, Isozaki made use of concrete and steel ineffective catchment of dramatic work. In the 1970s, Isozakis building turns out to be more historical in its alignment, signifying a linking with the growing post-modern society of Europe and the United States of America (William, 2009, p. 56). It is worth noting that Arata’s foundations such as traditional Western designers, particularly Andrea Palladio and Nicolas Ledoux, influences Isozaki fixed recognize, and his effort of the 1970s signifies an advanced fusion of official, purposeful, and procedural deliberations. As revealed by Isozaki by the Frankenstein architecture project, history should never be laid to rest as much as the world is treading through modernism. Isozaki takes the example of cubes to represent the unresponsive ambition of architectural innovation. For Isozaki cubes do not have the human quality, therefore, they qualify to be foes. He uses the cubes in the plaza of his Civil Centre. In the building square, the cubes appear to stand so strongly that makes him name it after Merlyn Monroe. Friedrich Kittler’s “the City is a Medium” is regarded as one of the vital media studies to highlight the visual similarities between cities and circuit boards. In the study, Friedrich demonstrates the relationship that exist between urban infrastructure and information technologies (Kittler and Griffin, 1996, p.717). As Friedrich argues, the city is connected by a series of intersecting networks, and especially the fringes, tangents and the peripheries. This is the work of technology that can be inform of energy infrastructure or communication infrastructures. In a nutshell, Friedrich argues that the innovation in the contemporary world is vital in the development of cities. Most cities in the world today are characterized by advanced technologies (Kittler and Griffin, 1996, p.718). The emerging trends in technology influences the development of architectural concepts which in turn determines the status of the city. According to Friedrich, the development on communication and energy infrastructure for the cities must transmit forms of information and must be characterized by a central control system for monitoring (Kittler and Griffin, 1996, p.721). The cities are a series of networks. The similarities of the cities depend on the architectural networks and developments that exist between them. This could be in terms of glass, stone style and concrete that characterizes their construction. However, in a rather interesting note, Friedrich underscores the invisibility of infrastructures (Kittler and Griffin, 1996, p.724). According to Friedrich, extrapolation was vital for the developments of the architectural systems of cities. That is, it is not a must to sketch the nodes of networks in order to realize the full architectural development of the city; on the contrary, it is appropriate to just sketch the invisible pathways that connect these nodes. This will help in creating a network tree that will in turn positively influence the development of the city (Kittler and Griffin, 1996, p.729). In case of Toyo Ito’s “Tarzan in the media forest”, one moment in life changed his perspective about architecture. The fall of the ‘Aoyoma’ Hospital, which was situated near his place of work, got him to be interested in architectural works (Ito, 2011, p.4). He argues that most of the buildings in the cities today are commercial based, and developers are more concerned about their returns therefore pay less attention to the surrounding. This is a true characteristics of most cities in the contemporary world and Tokyo is no better. According to Ito, Japan used to be a city characterized by original and better architectural designs in the past. This ensured that quality of the buildings was never comprised at all cost. In fact, Ito argues that Japan should resort to the old designs (Ito, 2011, p.13). Ito’s main concern was the environment aspect of the buildings. He appreciates the work of technology but also maintains that much care should be taken when integrating technology in the architectural designs. For instance, many people talk about the global environment, but instead on focusing on the natural environment, they are more focused on reinforcing the inside and outside boundaries, and creating an artificial environment (Ito, 2011, p.20). This is a vital factor that must be taken into consideration before a construction of any building. In this regard, architectural design should ensure that the natural environment is conserved as opposed to destroying it. Borrowing from Toyo’s argument, it is worth arguing that the best cities in the world are the ones that takes into consideration the natural environment during the architectural developments (Ito, 2011, p.33). It does not matter the number of tall buildings that exists or how they are advanced in technology, the most important thing is that the piece of the architecture leaves the environment better-off before than it were before. World Trade Center Master Plan New York, NY It is worth noting that while developing an architectural design of a building, then it is vital to include the interest of all the stakeholders. Some people attach some memories or beliefs to some buildings, hence their thoughts and feelings must be taken into consideration before the planning and implementation of the architectural design. For instance, in trying to redesign and reconstruct the 16 acres Lower Manhattan destroyed by the 9/11 attack, Libeskind worked closely with all the stakeholders bearing in mind that it was vital to balance the memory of the tragedy with the need to foster a vibrant and working neighborhood. The master plan should be realized through coordination with Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the City of New York, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the individual architects. This Daniel Libeskind master plan should act as a true reflection of what should characterize the contemporary architectural designs. That is, each and every design should consider the needs of all the stakeholders before commencing. From the local authority to the general public, each design for a city should ensure that it meets the needed requirements. Conclusion The ideas presented by Isozaki in his project bring us to a conclusion that architecture and urbanism are supposed to be practical rather that perceived ideology (Drew, 1982, p. 96). Moreover, it posits that the society should also be seen to participate in realizing the esthetic glory of the community through its architectural designs (Petit, 2008, p.152). For that matter, therefore, architecture should be seen to be striving toward modernism at the same time the past should be the determinant of the future progress. Arata Isozaki powerfully affected the traditional modernism in architecture in his time. His era turned to semiotics in architecture so as to show value in architectural forms. Isozaki views the big town at a face value from the onset of his architectural journey. However, taking a view at his work makes to look at the society in different angles and at that point we can figure out the possibility of creating a new society (Petit, 2008, p.158). Isozaki through his architectural work has dealt with the problems that face towns in Japan. Isozaki advocates for the integration of the historical and modern aspects of architecture for a better development of the modern cities. On their part, Friedrich Kittler and Toyo Ito also demonstrate the importance of good architectural designs towards proper development of cities. Friedrich on the importance of development of technology to the growth of the city. According to Friedrich, a city should consist of a network of technological infrastructures. This will determine their proper existence and development to a modern society. On his part, Toyo argued against those modern architectural designs that takes little concerns of the natural environment. According to Toyo, an architectural design should not compromise the status of natural environment by creating an artificial environment, on the contrary, the design should improves the status of the natural environment. Despite the difference in arguments that might arise, the studies are in one agreement. That is, a good architectural design should integrate both the historical designs and the modern-systems of architecture for an efficient development of cities (Bennett, 1998, p. 87). In this regard, it is worth noting that all these researches show the importance of architecture in the ordinary life of human beings. Bibliography BAUMEISTER, R., & LEE, S. (2007). The domestic and the foreign in architecture. Rotterdam, 010 Publishers. BENNETT, B. T. (1998). Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley: an introduction. Baltimore, Md. [u.a.], Johns Hopkins Univ. Press. DREW, P. (1982). The Architecture of Arata Isozaki. London, Granada. ISOZAKI, A., FUTAGAWA, Y., & FUTAGAWA, Y. (1996). Arata Isozaki. Tokyo, A.D.A. Edita. Ito, T., (2011). Tarzans in The Media Forest. Architectural Association London, 1(1), pp. 1-41. Kittler F.A and Griffin M., (1996). The City Is a Medium. JSTOR, 27(4), pp. 717-729. Petit, E., (2008). Incubation and Decay: Arata Isozakis Archetecturial Poetics-Metabolism Dialogical "Other". The MIT Press, 40(5), pp. 152-163. PRINA, F., & DEMARTINI, E. (2006). 1000 years of world architecture : an illustrated guide. London, Thames & Hudson. RYFLE, S. (1998). 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