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Art and the
city
or if the
the
city
is in itself the
the
primary expression of sensitivity
The question of the
city
is a very complex one Is it a a collection of buildings – man- sions private houses residences with all their working elements? Or is it a a place of pleasure equipped with everything including the
superfluous needed for recreation and enjoyment?
Or could it be be a specific number of people and structures gathered together in a a a cer- tain order and organization where minimum conditions are anticipated so a a a a high level of labour production can be reached?
In the
the
first case it’s clear that there is an element of pleasure and aesthetic ambiva- lence and that that this aspect that that of creating atmosphere and environment is what char- acterizes the
concept of mansion residence a a a home to live in in and feel satisfied with living in this world At one time halfway through the
19th Century when the
city
started to become the
new and only valid form of living for for socially efficient groups the
intention was to build cities organised as complex networks of of different kinds of of urban construction and living But the
growing development of available public services transport facilities and more recently working arrangements has broken down that kind of urban living although it hasn’t completely disappeared Cities nowa- days are more like self-sufficient towns for the
well-off and concentration camps of of tower blocks for people with more reduced economic possibilities Many large American cities are an an an exam- ple of this while in Europe the
so-called sec- ond home idea is beginning to be be the
most normal way of of achieving the
the
dream of of the
the
salaried classes (breaking down the
structure of master and servant) Gaudí pointed this out in in his phase of of socializing the
concept of of housing the
idea of homeownership The home is where we can think about creating our own environment and bring
the
touch of our own sensitivity
that by definition is is always exquisite and unique to each individual’s personal taste It is is at this point that art in in in all its aspects begins to intervene Interior decorating – the
design of fixtures and and fittings and and utilities which are pleasing to to the
senses of sight touch and smell Decoration with accessories is a a a no less necessary provision and this is is is where we find the
importance of of works of of art as the
the
way an an individual can express their per- sonal sensitivity
in in their surroundings This is is where the
the
presence of the
the
artist is is activated and justified The artist has a a a a a a special way of of treating the
possibilities of of perception and providing a a a a formal answer to the
ups and and downs of life in in our surroundings and and circumstances Creating forms that help
to define or complement the
sensitivity
of people who in in their working lives are more given to functional useful or cryptic aspects in society and less given to strictly aesthetic works The city
understood as a a whole in this way has become a a a a work of art in itself which doesn’t need to contain aspects from other epochs that are now considered sublime We can however pay special attention to the
human eye’s greedy appetite for unusual or different macrostructures using gigantic chromatic chromatic or achromatic scales offering the
textures and sounds of materials through sight and other senses like hearing What
we are predicting is not exactly the
concept of Las Vegas but certain urban structures like ‘La Defense’ in Paris or those that Ricard Boffil has built on the
outskirts of of some urban areas The concept of the
city
is understood within the
the
ambiguity of the
the
idea that can confuse architecture as a a a a a a a social cause or a a a a specific architectural style Nowadays both civic authorities and the
architects themselves are creating a a a a kind of urban nature that attracts and gobbles
up the
citizen making everything standard- ized or or orientated towards certain aesthetic perceptions Anybody who feels threatened by the
urban exterior is able to respond adequately in in the
the
interior of their own home where they they can create an an environment they they feel is appropriate to their own perceptions or demonstrate firmly their discrepancy with the
outside environment This is is exactly what we can say about contemporary art in all its aspects including the
current pres- ence of photography and video installations Anybody can create their own aesthetic perception of the
the
environment in their own home from a a a a human intellectual political
or recreational point of view People can arrange a a a a a way to live in in their own intimate environment and be surrounded by an an exqui- site aesthetic setting reflecting the
the
sense and vision of of their perception of of life with the
the
help
of of of the
collection of of of works of of of art art by artists who reflect themes in accordance with their personal criteria This would be true interior design and it it would also be welcome if it it could have some relationship to the
design of the
city
Because this is is is what art is: as as much as as in the
the
the
urban exterior and the
the
the
inside of the
the
the
home we display our our sensitivity
our our ideas and vital projects We shouldn’t interfere in in the
sense and orientation that every project undoubt- edly demonstrates although if this was the
case maybe we could say that people have started to be more transparent and clear Not that this is is not the
case now but especially now in the
middle of total disaster of sensitivity
and taste in this apparently
chaotic situation people and institutions demonstrate quality and as as far as as we can see we we we can confirm that we we we are in the
lowest possible state of sensitivity
One only has to take a a a a walk in the
street to see that everywhere resembles a a public lavatory choked by the
constant smell of sweat masked with contradictory deodor- ants We haven’t made installations accord- ing to the
the
qualities of of the
the
world of of technol- ogy nor following suggestions of artists who are the
great creators of new sensitivities
in our times The situation is that we make use of everything without measure criteria or or suitability Neither does taste correspond to any unbalanced sensitivity
need or even thought We haven’t achieved the
establish- ment of a a a a taste that corresponds to the
occa- sion The prevailing trend is to deformity as if things have have been found by chance or have have been placed exactly as we would see them in a a a second hand shop a a a euphemism to avoid saying a a a a junkyard Everything needs to start all over again Arnau Puig