As modernity is continuously destroying and reformulating the world at an exponentially increasing pace, the sense of being haunted by the memories of the past - and by possible futures - has crystallised in literary and artistic movements such as psychogeography and hauntology.
Wonderfully enjoyable conversation. Not heard of psychogeography before your chat, but had a big a ha moment. Sensed this all my life but didn’t know what to call it. I’ve always preferred to marinade in environments and notice its effect on my subjective experience. Ona seperate note, I’ve frequently pondered our propensity to escape the rat race to live the good life in an unspoilt location, however it doesn’t take too long before we sully our new location by replicating the same environment that we escaped. In that regard it does seem that we metastasise like a cancer to the detriment of the new location. So hauntology makes so much sense to me. A deep sadness of a paradise lost. Thank you guys.
Marshall McLuhan has some fascinating views about language and architecture. Pointing out that nomadic man didn't use writing and that literate man thinks of his writing as a container for meaning like his static abode as a container for himself. It seems this principal has truly atrophied into the Japanese work pod idea
Also the Prussian innovation in dividing subjects into separate classrooms, creating literal boxes for schoolchildren so their thinking doesn't get too holistic and intuitive...
Another interesting discussion. One thing I would add about the endless building construction - and I use the same terminology myself, with regard to the constant spread of 'little boxes' that plague the outskirts of all villages, towns and cities - is the lack of corresponding infrastructure. Opportunistic farmers, themselves victims of recession, are selling off a lot of their land to property developers and these precious areas are rapidly turned into identikit Legolands that have no access to schools, hospitals, doctors surgeries, and dentists etc. It really is a false economy.
Excellent, thought provoking conversation guys! I often think about the geomantic ramifications of public spaces. I always wondered why buildings like the Vatican allow the public to enter until I realised that the this is a way energies are harvested as the populous move through the space. While at the same time reinforcing the authority of such institutions through the grander and splendour of its wealth. It seems that the wisdom of space design and it's manipulation us a truly ancient one that is still in full use to this day. Thanks for the inspiration!!
Architecture as energy harvesting also brings to mind Wilhelm Reich's experiments. I recall the Prof telling me about weird anomalies in the siting of the Scottish Parliament building, being a really terrible spot to build on but triangulating with Westminster and some other location - I'd have to get him to remind me on the details.
Wonderfully enjoyable conversation. Not heard of psychogeography before your chat, but had a big a ha moment. Sensed this all my life but didn’t know what to call it. I’ve always preferred to marinade in environments and notice its effect on my subjective experience. Ona seperate note, I’ve frequently pondered our propensity to escape the rat race to live the good life in an unspoilt location, however it doesn’t take too long before we sully our new location by replicating the same environment that we escaped. In that regard it does seem that we metastasise like a cancer to the detriment of the new location. So hauntology makes so much sense to me. A deep sadness of a paradise lost. Thank you guys.
Thank you Dalziel!
Thanks! Really glad you got something from it.
You can take the Boy out of Ballymena, but you can’t take Ballymena out of the Boy…
I hope that's not the case, ha ha!
Earth Ley Energy radiating from Slemish is indelible,
As the Spirit of Benbulben followed Yeats to his grave…
Marshall McLuhan has some fascinating views about language and architecture. Pointing out that nomadic man didn't use writing and that literate man thinks of his writing as a container for meaning like his static abode as a container for himself. It seems this principal has truly atrophied into the Japanese work pod idea
Also the Prussian innovation in dividing subjects into separate classrooms, creating literal boxes for schoolchildren so their thinking doesn't get too holistic and intuitive...
Another interesting discussion. One thing I would add about the endless building construction - and I use the same terminology myself, with regard to the constant spread of 'little boxes' that plague the outskirts of all villages, towns and cities - is the lack of corresponding infrastructure. Opportunistic farmers, themselves victims of recession, are selling off a lot of their land to property developers and these precious areas are rapidly turned into identikit Legolands that have no access to schools, hospitals, doctors surgeries, and dentists etc. It really is a false economy.
Absolutely. Government attempts to 'force' developers to somehow ensure supporting infrastructure inevitably fail.
You had me at "we all have psyches and we all have been in places".
Excellent, thought provoking conversation guys! I often think about the geomantic ramifications of public spaces. I always wondered why buildings like the Vatican allow the public to enter until I realised that the this is a way energies are harvested as the populous move through the space. While at the same time reinforcing the authority of such institutions through the grander and splendour of its wealth. It seems that the wisdom of space design and it's manipulation us a truly ancient one that is still in full use to this day. Thanks for the inspiration!!
Architecture as energy harvesting also brings to mind Wilhelm Reich's experiments. I recall the Prof telling me about weird anomalies in the siting of the Scottish Parliament building, being a really terrible spot to build on but triangulating with Westminster and some other location - I'd have to get him to remind me on the details.