Tuesday, June 30, 2009

KATARXIS Moment: Peter Eisenman and Leon Krier, on dishwashing...

Leon Krier and Peter Eisenman fistfight in Heaven, 1982

There are always these short interviews that I long to master some day...

Copy pasted from here.

This page is reserved for polemics, debates and interviews. This first issue presents a virtual debate with statements by influential architects and intellectuals on the issue of classicism. Based on real and virtual quotes, the debate is fictitiously edited by KATARXIS


Peter Eisenmann: " There are only perfect ideas in the classical ideology. However today, where the elements of cosmology are no longer the same, we cannot return to a classical system. "

Leon Krier: " Our goal as artists and architects consists in understanding that universal system and that universal order which allow us to produce artistical artefacts, in the same way in which nature is creating individual beings. This is what makes classicism: It represents the fundamental system which allows us to create objects of timeless beauty. "

Peter Eisenman: " Classicism encompasses the idea of perfection as it can be encountered in Nature. As I said already, it is not possible anymore today to represent this classical concept of perfection -of harmony between Man and Nature, because this ideal state has been destroyed by forces generated by mankind. One cannot continue to use classical means of representation, because, what they represent, does not exist anymore.

Leon Krier: " It is absurd to prohibit good architecture because we live in terrible times. "

Peter Eisenmann: " Leon, come on, you cannot build this way anymore today! "

Leon Krier: " You can't, but I can! "


katarxis3

3 comments:

namhenderson said...

Never mind. I guess i know now..
What are those devices in front of them?
I guess that is why i thought it was Kasparov et al.

Anonymous said...

Ohh, I remember: those where the times when architects seriously thought they would contribute to an intellectual debate. Look at their austere faces, the pipe and how their are dressed - it's hilarious. Today they are just slaves of capitalism, just like the rest of us. Kind of sad actually.

Orhan Ayyüce said...

i think product journalism killed the architectural debate.