Category Archives: Art and design

‘Modernism and all that’

Posted on September 16, 2014 by David Brussat

Michael Mehaffy, the architectural theorist from Portland, Ore., who used to work with Prince Charles, sent in this brief essay to the TradArch list, which he has kindly let me post on my blog. There’s a lot of good stuff … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Darrell Issa wimps out

Posted on September 11, 2014 by David Brussat

A commenter on my recent blog updating readers on Frank Gehry’s proposal for a memorial to General Eisenhower points out that I relied on an incomplete report of what California Rep. Darrell Issa said of the proposal’s latest revisions. Since … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Guggensinki scandal?

Posted on September 7, 2014 by David Brussat

It’s far too early to say whether the design for the proposed Guggenheim museum in Helsinki will prove scandalous in its design, but entries for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s first international museum design competition are due on Wednesday, Sept. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Development | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Column: The mathematician vs. the modernists

Posted on September 4, 2014 by David Brussat

Science and modern architecture have gone hand in glove for decades. Buildings of steel and glass are filled with high technology to protect office space and living space from sun and climate. Hermetically sealed cartoon futurism must be scientific, right? … Continue reading →

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Plecnik revisited

Posted on August 17, 2014 by David Brussat

WordPress offers bloggers, among many other things, a list every day enumerating which posts get read by how many readers. I am continually amazed at how many posts from long ago (well, months) keep getting hits in drips and drabs. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Other countries | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Shooting WaterFire!

Posted on August 8, 2014 by David Brussat

Here are some shots of WaterFire, created and operated by artist Barnaby Evans of Providence. For readers unfamiliar with the phenomenon, the installation has played out on the city’s three intimate downtown rivers for, I think, 15 years now, every … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Development, Photography, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

World’s best sculpture

Posted on July 29, 2014 by David Brussat

No, the sculpture on display here is certainly not the best sculpture in the world, but it’s head and shoulders above most of what the artistic establishment considers the best – that is, twisted contortions of metal, symbols arrayed as … Continue reading →

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Biophilia and biomimicry

Posted on July 26, 2014 by David Brussat

Deep in the trenches of architecture, classicists and modernists are battling for the right to don the mantle of science. If you google “architecture biophilia” you will see a lot of stuff – including buildings – covered with greenery. That’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Trad building conference

Posted on July 19, 2014 by David Brussat

I’ve just returned to Providence from the Traditional Building Conference, at the Boston Common Hotel and Conference Center, in Boston, which is, alas, being eyed for demo, to be replaced by a 35-story tower – that info, from 2012, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture Education, Art and design | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Postcard from Providence 1997

Posted on July 15, 2014 by David Brussat

Here is the 1992 column mentioned in today’s post “Let’s ruin Kennedy Plaza” in which I suggest merging the plaza with Burnside Park to form a Central Park for Providence. I also placed the bus hub under “Kennedy Park.” On … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Blast from past, Preservation, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , | 4 Comments