Archive for November, 2006

Beijing building makes architectural history

Friday, November 17th, 2006

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The new China Central Television Building in Beijing will be one of the largest buildings ever constructed. It is, however, only 57 stories tall. It is not a typical skyscraper; it’s donut-shaped design has made it a marvel since it was chosen by the Chinese government in 2002. The building, which will occupy a space as large as 37 football fields, will be completed in 2008 and is currently the subject of the exhibition, “OMA in Beijing” at MoMA. The Exhibition was reviewed today by the New York Times.

I don’t really know anything about architecture beyond what was discussed in an art history course my sophomore year of college, but this building does seem to inspire awe, just as its designer says it does in the Times review. Before this building, it would seem to me that a skyscraper was a skyscraper, extending upward like a monolith, taking on whatever modern or post-modern affects its designer envisioned. But we’re basically talking about one shape here. This building (you can’t call it a tower) is powerfully innovative because it has eliminated the skyscrapers phallic nature, something that those of us without architectural vision thought impossible to circumvent.

So Kudos on this really rad building. And keep up the good work.

Photo of the Day - Charlotte Kesl

Friday, November 17th, 2006

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This is a blog about art.

Thursday, November 16th, 2006

I hope you like photography; specifically the kind of photography that I like. Or, even better for me, the kind of photography that I make. I live in Washington, D.C., and I’ve been exploring photography seriously for about three years. I put a lot of creative and intellectual energy making images, thinking about them, so I’m going to use this space to delve into that here.