The nest on Wilfing Architettura (twice): beyond the sense of place

Thanks to the kindness of Salvatore D’Agostino, for the secon time The nest very gladly accepts an invitation to participate to a wide-ranging investigation, extended to many (so many!) Italian architecture-and-more bloggers.

This time it was to answer two questions that, apparently trivial, have some spicy implications.

• What is the well-know architect you appreciate and why?
• What is the unknown architect  you appreciate and why?

Not to disclose further details, I definitely suggest to read this post and all other of the very interesting series with the emblematic title of [BEYOND THE SENSE OF PLACE].

The nest on Wilfing Architettura: new architecture blogs and new media diseases

We point out the interesting post by Salvatore D’agostino entitled Homophilia e nuovi blog [homophilia and new blogs], where this newborn place is mentioned, having I been asked to answer to the question of questions in matter of blogs: why?
I invite you to read it not so much for the answer I gave, as for the variety of blogs presented and the equally varied range of reasons given after that question.
Besides the excellent mcluhanian quote, a further question arises that the many comments give response and a number of additional issues of interest.

Have a good reading.

Strategies against architecture

Contemporary architecture told through negations

Today, I’m starting this new series of posts that will be built with the intent to openly denounce the bad habit, alas widespread in Italy, for which the mass information made on some architectural themes of broad interest is generally entrusted to low competent characters, which, moreover, become spokesmen for absolute rearguard positions, almost always unworthy even from a purely historical point of view.

The problem is particularly virulent, however, because of a contemporary profound crisis of the publishing industry that fails, for some years now, to be a counterpart of sufficient authority and communicativeness to overcome the excessive media power that influence the public opinion through television.
Many have spoken, in recent times, about the cloud that seems to cover, for instance, two historic magazines as Casabella and Domus, in the last editions respectively headed by Francesco from Co and Flavio Albanese. If the former, in fact, has long been rarely able to produce issues consisting in something better than a series of projects of more or less known international studies, the second in general tends to stylish positions closer to applied art; but both suffer from the same inability to implement articles of historical depth, of really current view, of great importance: in a word, actually memorable.

And it is precisely this substantial inability to deeply understand the great changes taking place in society and therefore in urbanism and architecture to give into the hands of persons of dubious aptitude the role of educators of people on the same subjects. Thus, while it is true that we have to be filled with indignation, we cannot be surprised to find Sgarbi or Grillo involved with what, knowingly or not, is a systematic strategy of sabotage of the progress of architectural historical evolution. They have no opponents. [Ahi serva Italia (I can spontaneously occur), how much this situation reminds the democratic disease plaguing my country! The populist Right party is fully comparable with the still ongoing proposition of old models that easily get consensus among the unqualified, while as for the publishing, which party does it take? The one of Left, who loses its place in parliament as a consequence of having been too long far from the real? Or perhaps that of an opposition unqualified itself, scared, silent, vaguely conniving?]

Someone could say that television is not meant to be and actually has never been a source of high-level investigation in any area or topic, and that wishing this happening in architecture just when the crisis is deeper because coming from inside, is foolish if not unlawful. True. But it’s also true that no real information is given if the information, although superficial, isn’t fair at least. For this reason, from the little I can, I will propose these new post as an opposing voice. A reason to think that what was just said in teevee could not be true.

A nest of knots

Welcome.

Both if you happened to come here intentionally or casually, this is a new website built with the aim to create a network of knowledge and debate about architecture, whose “knots” we’ll try to untie and whose various destinies we’ll try to prefigure on the basis of inquiries about modernity and much more. To learn more about the intentions of this venture, take a look to the It’s all about section: although confused enough to be contemporary, it will give you an idea of what you can expect from this web journal.

Now, some little explanations about the structure. As you can see, despite this introductive post, some previous articles have already been written: actually they’ve been transferred here from my personal blog, which I’ve been writing about many subjects, among whom architecture (even if in general), until this moment. Then, it can be said that the real activity of The nest and the spider web starts today.

More: I have to previously apologize for my bold attempt to manage such a blog despite my awareness of writing an uncertain English. I am Italian indeed, and English is of course a second language for me. For this reason, please feel free to correct (both publicly or privately) all the mistakes I’m inexorably going to make: any suggestions will be very appreciated.

Of course, you can also read this website in the original language.

I hope that you’ll be interested in the subjects we’ll deal with and that this causes stimulating debates and an exchange of contributes. Building a spider web is not simple, but I trust in the help of many.

Have a good trip and keep in touch!