In Shinto, Takamagahara is known as the Plain of High Heaven (高天原)
What purpose does a digital architecture when we can not physically dwell in it? We are introduced to a classical definition of architecture, progressing through a threshold which arrives and departs like the ebb and flow of the tides.
Techniques of Governance
The control of information has become the greatest challenge of the 21st century. Our evolutionary psychology is often at odds with the things that we strive and aim to achieve; deeper understanding of one another, connection and greater connectivity are disrupted by our tendency to cover our own mistakes and not share our lived experience with honesty. We are caught between our need for efficiency and understanding our own needs and deeply rooted intuitions.
The Cave of Sibyl
The sibyl was a woman named Amalthæa who lurked in a cave in the Phlegræn Fields. She was once so beautiful that she attracted the attention of the sun god Apollo, who offered her one wish for her virginity. Amalthæa asked for a year of life for every particle in a dust pile, but she failed to allow for the vindictiveness of the gods. She did not ask that those years should come with ageless youth as well, she aged but could not die. Tarquin the Proud is known as the last of the mythic kings of Rome, some historians concede that he did live in the 6th Century BC. According to legend, one day the sybil travelled to Tarquins palace with 9 books of prophecy that spoke to the future of Rome. She offered the set to the king for a price so enormous that he declined – at this point the prophetess walked away and burnt three of the books. She returned, offering the remaining six to Tarquin at the same price. Once again, the king refused, and again she went away and burned three more books. The third time she approached the king, he thought it wise to accede her demands. Rome purchased three remaining books of prophecy at the original steep price. These scrolls are known collectively as the Sibylline Books, which were kept closely guarded in a stone chest in a vault beneath the Temple of Jupiter, the scrolls were brought out at times of crisis and used, not as a detailed guide to the future of Rome, but as a manual that set out the rituals required to avert looming disasters. Our naivety to hearing news that is contrary to our beliefs is built into our genetic makeup. Resistance to belief change, is so common that it has become engrained in the fabric of our society. The way that we pursue a convergence of belief, has more often than not becomes a failed project which often turns violent, marred by discontent and anger. When we look at it the only thing coming between us and having a prosperous future, is the barrier of a change of belief. What is incredibly important to understand is our own biases and behavioral psychology driven by thousands of years of evolution, by examining our selves we can begin to realize that we don’t have it figured out, and that we cannot gatekeep a fictitious understanding of the world, but rather hold the torch and walk into the darkness together.
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The Ear of Dionysus
Deep in Neapolis Archaeological Park lies the Latomia del Paradiso, it is a narrow cavern 76 feet high and 214 feet deep and only about 25 feet wide. The name latomia comes from the Latin word lātomĭae which means cut stone, during the reign of the despot Dionysius I of Syracuse the dark stone quarry was used to imprison war prisoners and political dissidents. The perfect acoustics let him eavesdrop on the plans and secrets of his captives, as well as amplifying the screams of prisoners being tortured in it. Means of control have shifted from being overt to discrete, obscuring the original intent from the public ensuring any accountability is obsolete in the moment of truth. My methodology in this piece does not withhold any misstep or aberration of the creative process, allowing for an insight into a development that is unrefined and unclear. The struggle of embracing imperfections, accepting our peculiarity not being bound to any societal constraints. Letting go of control letting the imminent qualities of material achieving different ends and optima through different paths and different histories.
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Trajan’s Market
Trajan’s Market is the name given to a complex of buildings imposed into the Quirinal Hill of Rome constructed in 107-110 CE during the reign of Trajan. It became a public monument and a testament to the lasting influence of Rome and its empire. The complex was funded by Trajan’s occupation of Dacia (modern day Romania and Hungary) where he met his architect Appolodorus, a cosmopolitan Greek with roots in Syria, who designed a bridge which allowed Trajan’s armies to cross over the Danube, making the conquest of Dacia possible. Scholars have suggested that the breeziness of the space was the architects nod to the flowing cloths that covered the bazaars of his Syrian homeland. We often criticize capitalism and are sceptical of its efficacy as a system, adding to this conception is that our public policy makers have done a poor job of articulating why growth matters and highlighting where we have made mistakes, lacking accountability. The type of capitalism we practice continues to pursue shortcuts, governments reaching for more amount of debt, tax breaks etc. but we are not investing in infrastructure and out future. The lack of long-term thinking has led us to reach for more short term solutions that don’t fully reflect the trade offs and challenges that deliver economic growth at scale. A system that allocates capital and scarce resources, in a way that is driven by innovation and not cronyism, is the system we aught to aspire to.
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