"The modern is the local, inheriting and expressing the universal."
This quote suggests that the concept of "modern" or contemporary, while being a product of global trends and advancements, should still reflect and embody the unique qualities, culture, and identity of its specific location or community. Essentially, modern design or architecture should not be uniform across all places; instead, it should express universal principles while remaining rooted in local contexts.
"The contemporary has no history, it's the product of a single instant, a cultural 'now'."
This quote suggests that in the modern era, the contemporary is not influenced by a continuous historical narrative but instead exists as a snapshot, or a culmination, of the current moment. It implies that our culture, art, and society are shaped by the immediate influences and trends of today, rather than being grounded in a long-term or linear historical context. The 'now' refers to the present cultural zeitgeist, which is constantly evolving and unique to its specific time period.
"The role of the architect is to close the gap between the dream of the client and the reality of architectural practice."
This quote by Charles Jencks emphasizes the architect's responsibility as a mediator between the client's aspirations and the practicalities of architectural design and construction. The dream or vision that a client has for their building project may be ambitious, abstract, or idealistic; it is the role of the architect to translate these ideals into a feasible and realistic design that can be built within budget, adhere to regulations, and meet functional needs while still aligning with the original concept. This process requires an understanding of both artistic vision and technical know-how, making the architect a crucial bridge between creativity and construction.
"Pattern is nature's way of saying complex things in simple language."
This quote by Charles Jencks emphasizes that complexity often found in natural phenomena can be understood and represented through simple, repeating patterns. By observing these patterns, we can decipher the underlying principles governing nature's creation. It suggests that there is order in complexity, making it accessible for us to comprehend and appreciate. In essence, patterns serve as a language that nature uses to communicate its intricate processes and designs to us.
"The process of making is as creative as the result, often more so, because it is where new knowledge and understanding are generated."
This quote by Charles Jencks emphasizes that the act of creating or "making" carries its own creative value, sometimes even surpassing the final product itself. The creative process is where novel ideas and understandings are formed, providing a space for learning and innovation. It suggests that we should not only appreciate the outcome of creation but also the journey towards it, as this journey often offers invaluable insights and contributes significantly to our growth and development.
The singular point of beautiful objects, and people, is that they are experienced not as parts, or ratios between cheekbones and chin, but as wholes. The experience of beauty is a perception, but it is one that mixes up various other sensations and makes them converge in a particular way.
- Charles Jencks
If you look at any leaf on any tree branch, it's similar to but not exactly a repetition of the previous branch. So the new science of complexity or showing how an architecture can be produced just as quickly, cheaply and efficiently by using computer production methods to get the slight variation, the self-similarity.
- Charles Jencks
You know, Darwin said through natural selection things go gradually, and he was talking about pigeon's evolution or horses evolving, getting faster. But in fact if you look at evolution on a bigger scale, cosmic evolution and you look at culture evolution you see it jumps, it goes through phase changes, and that's very exciting.
- Charles Jencks
If you look at Gothic detailing right down to the bottom of a column or the capital of a column, it's a small version of the whole building; that's why, like dating the backbones of a dinosaur, a good historian can look at a detail of a Gothic building and tell you exactly what the rest of the building was, and infer the whole from the parts.
- Charles Jencks
I'd been to Stourhead and was inspired by the perfect parity between architecture and art; in fact, the architecture is the art. I wrote a piece called 'Not Sculpture Park,' because most of these things become car parks for bought-in sculpture. The artists should be working with the site, not just plonking pieces down.
- Charles Jencks
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