We have been fascinated by a recent blog piece that we found covering a debate at the Aspen Ideas Festival. The blog covers a heated exchange between Frank Gehry and president of the PPS, Fred Kent.
Read it here.
Places and people
On one hand you can argue that dismissing Gehry as a “Starchitect” is insulting to one of the most influential designers of our time. On the other, you can be forgiven for concluding that Gehry’s lack of appreciation for “context” shows that high profile architects have forgotten the people that bring their buildings to life.
Gugenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain
Public response
Despite the pompousness of the argument, the exchange raises an interesting question – to date has iconic architecture delivered useful public spaces? And more importantly, while designers, journalists and critics get rather excited by high design, does the public care about the aesthetic detail, or are they more interested in places that fulfill their needs.
Read the full blog here, the comments at the end of the piece are particularly interesting.
