3:01 PM
TAIN
The New Year is here. A new year provides what most people long for – a clean slate. It is a chance to do all the things that we have pushed till the beginning of next year. “I’ll eat as much as I want now, and from the first of Jan I’ll go on a diet.” or “In the next year, I will start saving.”
The resolution could be anything, what matters is the emotion behind it. The prospect of having a deadline to stop procrastinating, however ironic, appeals to everyone. We like believing that with the start of a new year, we start at ground zero. And that nothing we did in the past has an effect on the New Year. It’s a new day, it’s a new start – this is the thought that gets people motivated to do the things they’ve been putting off. Because a new year means that they are not procrastinators, but...
Friday, December 31, 2010
"Companions and Early Mentors at the Beginning of a Long Journey" by Christopher Charles Benninger, Architect.
As a teenager four young teachers touched me and motivated me. One, Norman Jensen, a little known but great painter, would laugh at my aerial view sketches and ask me, “Why don’t you draw what you see?” Harry Merritt was a classic modernist, building unpublished masterpieces in North Florida. Though shy for publicity, he carried the stature of a Master. He made us proud to be young architects. He was an “architect’s architect” who made us follow strict rules. He preached a truth in every decision, shooting rational questions at our every line. “If a closet projects out of the wall on this elevation and it’s doing the same thing on another, than the expression has to be the same!” He called this “honesty of expression.” Robert Tucker was a teacher to the core. Thoughtful, humorous, probing...
Thursday, December 30, 2010
"Themes and Motifs in Architecture: The Dilemma of Style" by Christopher Charles Benninger, Architect.
One of the characteristics of being human, a characteristic not found in other species, is the ability to use symbols and signs to manipulate concepts within one’s mind. Here I do not mean using symbols for the mere communication of ideas. We go beyond the intellectual life of fish and birds and formulate ideas, constructions and concepts.
Our ability to conceive things is critical to human development. Symbols are used in human thought to stand for things which are not present. Words are symbols we constantly use. Imagination is the human function of making images in our heads.
Human being can imagine situations which are different from those in front of their eyes. A child can remember absent things, but only later in his development can he manipulate non-present things, even adding components...
Monday, December 27, 2010
Being sick - good or bad?
Being sick could be the worst thing to happen to you. Runny noses, rising temperatures, aching bodies, etc – YUCK. It’s just the worst. The feeling that comes over you when sick, the feeling of just wanting to collapse into a heap and curl up on the floor is universal. So is the feeling that this will never pass. And there is absolutely nothing anyone can say or do to make you feel even a little better.
Except, a handful of things can. Like the hugs of a loved one. Like hot soup. Like a nice steam to clear passages. Like snuggling in bed with a good movie on. Like having someone do every little thing for you, just because you can’t. Like getting out of boring commitments.
On second thought, being sick could be the best thing to happen to y...
Saturday, December 25, 2010
"Omens of a magic gift" by Christopher Charles Benninger, Architect.
As a child I spent my days drifting in confusion. Nothing inspired me. Neither my teachers nor my studies enthused me to seek knowledge. My parents thought by putting me in school I’d be educated; by putting me in sports I’d become athletic; by putting me in a church I’d be in touch with the ultimate truth! They confused religion with spirituality! Most of what transpired in these institutions seemed like a dull black cloud hovering over me, with no respite.
What did move me were the autumn leaves in reds, yellows and oranges and their winter nude fingers reaching into moody skies. Come snowfall and the black fingers would frost into white powder, momentarily melting, and then freezing stick trees into gleaming crystal candelabras of ice-glass, glittering up-side-down in the bright sun. These...
Friday, December 24, 2010
"De-Schooling Architecture" by Christopher Charles Benninger, Architect.
“I wanted a different structure…one that would be like a monument. Of course if Christopher even designs a square building it will be a monument”, said Dr. Gunwant Oswal, founder of The Center for Life Sciences, Health and Medicine (CLSHM), a center that treats brain and neuro-developmental disorders, especially in children, based on a holistic system of medicine. From 1968- 2000, Dr. Oswal operated out a 800 sq ft clinic in Pune’s Bhawani Peth; however as word of the efficacy of his complementary system of medicine spread, he felt he needed a larger space to carry out research and treat children with special needs. For two years Dr. Oswal looked for an appropriate site, a place where children and their parents would feel at ease. Finally he found a quiet site on a hill in Kondhwa with a sweeping...
To create and be creative.
Creativity is a trait that is unique. Every person is creative in some way or the other; it doesn’t need to be an overpowering and all engulfing quality. Creativity in everyday things is sometimes more important than it is in career-oriented things. Everyone wishes to be creative enough to paint beautifully or to write effectively – confusing creativity with the ability to create.
Creativity is not the ability to create, it is the ability to incorporate originality in things other people would not. If a mundane task can be made enjoyable, by using a little imagination, it is the creativity within us. Seeing the world differently than others do is the key to being creative. It isn’t difficult, you just have to know where and how to lo...
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
The Big, Fat Indian Wedding.
Weddings are fun. They signify the union of two souls, and the coming together of the lives of two individuals. Not to mention, they are a whole different interpretation of the word “FUN” – the hustle-bustle of people, the joy on everyone’s faces, opportunities to drink and make merry.
Indian weddings in particular, are a lot of fun – they’re colourful, they’re loud, they’re thoroughly enjoyable. The clothes people wear; the many days of long drawn-out ceremonies; the many family members, the numerous relatives, the friends and acquaintances; the varieties of food, from the starters to the desserts; the ceremonies, mehendi and haldi and so on – everything works its magic in enhancing the charm of the great Indian wedding.
And people complain – they complain about the many days they have...
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
"In Search of Architecture" by Christopher Charles Benninger, Architect.
Architecture through history has always been a part of mentalities which criticize, question and ultimately rule the society. Architects have always left the lasting images of the societies which patronized them. As societies fade away it is the architect’s foot prints which remain as the patrons. They leave the final images by which each era is remembered---made into a myth.
Contemporary Architecture
The dominating role of the architect is fading in the fashion-driven market that gives form to most of our environment. Modern civilization seems to be enchanted by the realm of the image, by projecting the values of “packaging” to the determent of architectural contexts. Contemporary architecture is seen as a permanent surface decoration; the wrapping of materials around functional interiors....
Friday, December 17, 2010
"Imagineering and the Creation of Space" by Christopher Charles Benninger, Architect.
A number of urban theorists have raised a core question regarding the determinants of urban form, urban planning and design. Most notable question the assumption that rational decision making by professionals would continue to be the method of designing urban spaces! Rather theorists propose that urban form could become just another commodity, a product to be consumed--- if not produced for profit. Or perhaps, as illustrated in God’s Own Junk Yard, our urban environment may become just a by-product, or worse still the residual flotsam of the production and consumption process?The Power of DesignIn Delirious New York, Koolhaus substantiates the formative role of “business” and “the market” in shaping large projects. No one really doubts that capitalism is the formative catalyst in molding its...
Thursday, December 16, 2010
It's the most wonderful time of the year...
Christmas is here, and everyone is in the spirit of things. It’s the season of joy and love and happiness and cheer. Not to forget, it is also the season of PRESENTS! While receiving presents is more joyful than most things, giving them may not be so joyful. Because let’s face it, people are difficult to shop for. The perfect gift doesn’t exist. And if it does, it’s extremely elusive. And every ounce of excitement is taken up by the thought of that perfect gift.Most people prefer giving gifts that mean something, rather than store-bought, mass-produced items which don’t have any personality. But how many personalized gifts can be made this close...
"Evidences" by Christopher Charles Benninger, Architect.
As a child I spent my days drifting in confusion. Nothing particularly inspired me, nor did my studies, or my teachers, enthuse me to seek knowledge. My parents were of the opinion that by putting me in a school I would be educated! They made half-hearted attempts to introduce me to the Christian church, believing that religion and spiritualism were one and the same. School, church, gymnasia, auditoria, the playing fields and most of what transpired within them seemed a dull cloud hovering over me with no respite.What did move me were the autumn trees in yellows, reds and oranges, and their winter nude, black fingers reaching for the sky, with the fresh white snows of winter covering the fields. Then the black fingers frosted with white powder snow, with the warm sun momentarily melting them...
