My Modern Men

Corbusier, Khan and Barragan all impress me. Let's make an analogy: If Kahn is a master of architecture; Barragan is a poet; then Corbusier is a visionary. Besides, I can see that they tend to apply the same techniques to series of projects. For Khan, I do not think that it is copycat; rather these are valuable exercises for designer to sharpen his sensibility. For Barragan's projects, they can never be fully illustrated by PowerPoint presentation; we can only understand his buildings until we are actually inside. Contemporary architecture is no longer about building itself. Rather, it is solely for visual consumption through representation or photography. We are no longer enjoying space but consuming those images. We are satisfied with those fictions in magazines but neglect our gut feelings. It is ashamed that I did not know much about Barragan in my schooling. Same as Gaudi, his work is not really attractive in books. I love Gaudi not until I visited his works at Barcelona. I was moved not until I was wandering around his buildings; not until I smell his vibrant mosaic walling. That experience can never be captured by a 35mm SLR camera, or be illustrated by any thousands of words. So I think I should stop now.