The Ontario College of Art and Design is in the process of being redesigned, a large new addition has become the focus of much worldwide attention. Much like my thoughts on Salinger I cannot determine if the architect is brilliant or possibly mediocre. The addition might be described as a large box perched on top of several coloured "straws". Insect like it hovers what seems like miles above the old part of the building, (though in person it does not seem nearly as tall as the drawing).
An article in the New York Times is titled, "How to Make a Building Fly".
I am excited that the College is finally taking a major risk in terms of design, and not doing the safe thing. (Isn't that the role of an art school? To push the boundaries of our society at large? To be daring and fearless? To experiment?) The architect Will Alsop says that he "sees happiness and joy in life's essential drudgery." A beautiful thing no? I heartily agree with him on that note, and try to put that into practice in my daily life. Except my first reaction upon seeing the drawings of this new addition was a sensation of aching arms. You see one thing about art school is the incredible amount of 'stuff' one is required to lug around on a daily basis. A short list, portfolio, large masonite drawing board (read: heavy), sketchbook, a tool box of supplies including any and all kinds of art supplys you can think of, depending on your program you could have any number of materials (bike parts, metal sheeting, wood). Now I find that as an occasional guest lecturer I am also plagued with a lot to carry to the classroom, (laptop, samples, portfolio).
A quote from the architect himself:
"As an architect, our mission statement is just to make life better. It's a very simple statement, but quite hard to do. In the end it has nothing to do with style or anything else."
The main access to the new addition appears to be one LONG flight of stairs up to the centre of the insect. I wonder Mr. Alsop, if this might be a bit of a contradictory move on your part to making the life of the student and faculty 'better'. Did you, (as Jane Jacobs recommends), sit for a time and watch the movements of the art students? Did you notice the patterns their feet made while walking back and forth? Did you consider what it means to be weighted down by the stuff of creativity? (Yes, there are elevators but I find these to be a poor substitute for thoughtful layout).
What I will say is that when I walked past the building a few days ago I found myself grinning, so maybe that is a good sign. I will try to remain open and ignore the screaming of my arms.
Posted by kerismith at February 06, 2004 11:28 AMI live 4 blocks from the new Geary Disney Hall and I've been thinking the same thing about it. I'm still not sure.
I'd love to see a picture of this when it is finished
Posted by: shemaiah on February 6, 2004 06:20 PMTo me it looks like they built a monster on stilts over OCAD...and well i am a sucker for monsters...i can't wait to go up and see inside. The front part of the building has all of this aweome colour added to it, which looks fantastic.
My boyfriend thinks there are not enough windows, and that the black and white checkered pattern is awful.
I am not going to make a final judgement until it is complete and i have taken a little walk through the building itself. My good friend who works for a local architectual firm in Toronto gave me that advice, he said that a lot can change from the preliminary sketches to the final product. And just like he said, I really think the illustrations of the addition that were released earlier last year, have not done it justice, it is looking much better than i expected. So I am just going to be patient and wait to see the final result.
Posted by: rhya on February 6, 2004 03:50 PMThe website the architect has is neat too. http://www.alsoparchitects.com/
Posted by: Chantelle on February 6, 2004 03:33 PMi had a similar response, a surge of joy. if a building can do that i'm all for it. a pencil box resting on pencils
Posted by: judith fielder on February 6, 2004 03:14 PMyears ago, when i was in college, they erected a new building on campus. it was to house the offices of "letters and science," and was this magnificent structure of brushed steel, and aquatic blue glass. it was angular and sharp, dripping with geometry but somehow fluid. i would ride my bike past each day, wondering the same thing. is this genius or complete absurdity? as the building began to take form, it became more beautiful and ugly simultaneously. i recall after it was finished, the night that i drew my final conclusion. i was riding past at midnight during the summer. shirt off, warm air at play, beneath a full and vibrant moon. the light was crashing off of the metals and the giant orb, reflected in the blue glass, was beautiful beyond my comprehension. i stopped the bike, dismounted, and sat there for some time on the grass just watching the light move. time had slowed. brilliant. the irony of course, was that after the building opened, people were getting lost all of the time, due to its complexity. they eventually had to hire security at night, because it was so labyrinthian women spoke fears of being accosted. a beautiful work of art perhaps, but a poorly thought out building. the architect said that it was his interpretation of the california landscape. the irony is thick.
Posted by: jeff pitcher on February 6, 2004 02:34 PMWhen I saw this building featured on the site of James Kunstler, I went to the ocad site to confirm that it wasn't a hoax! Check out some of his other "eyesores of the month". His observations are spot on.
http://www.kunstler.com/eyesore_200311.html
His web site looks bad but I highly recommend his books on urban design. With scathing wit and insight, he confronts the demise of attractive, functioning public spaces. I think what you are smiling at Keri when you pass it, is the pompous bad taste of the self-indulgent architect who designed it. You are right to marvel at how little the needs and desires of the students were taken into consideration (not to mention the surrounding environment).
Posted by: Mia on February 6, 2004 02:24 PMDid you hear Stuart MacLean talking about that on the Vinyl Cafe a few weeks ago? He was driving by and said that he practically craned his neck out the window to get a better view. He said he had to stop and just laugh - in amazement, in wonder, in joy - that such a fantastically out there thing existed. He's been bringing anyone and everyone to see it ever since.
Next time I'm in Toronto, I'm going to have to check it out.
Posted by: Lindsay on February 6, 2004 01:30 PMIt's a nutty building and it's nice to see art being taught in the middle of a big joke. But somehow it seems like a sort of old joke, non? Kinda Ettore Sottsass, Memphis, 1982.
Posted by: danny on February 6, 2004 12:55 PM