“The problem with the Royal Institute of British Architects Awards is that they’re decided at a regional level. Which means that if you’re building in London, where a lot of big and interesting stuff is built (just look at T5), you’re significantly less likely to get an award than in Northern Ireland, where less stuff is built. And obviously, it looks bad if there’s a region with no awards at all. Then again, how many big buildings do you think get built in the UK each year?”
Tag: 06.02.08
The Stonehenge We Deserve
“The wonderful thing about Stonehenge: there are more theories about its meaning and purpose than there are stones inside it, a trend that goes right back to the idea, popular in the Middle Ages, that its monoliths had been assembled on Salisbury Plain by Merlin, though exactly why he bothered to do so remains a mystery. The crucial point is that every age gets the Stonehenge it deserves.”
Is New York Missing A Missing Design Opportunity?
“In rescuing the $1 billion deal to redevelop Manhattan’s Hudson Rail Yards, Related Cos. and Goldman Sachs could create a spectacular shaft of greenery and sky from the western end of Midtown to the Hudson River. The nature of the deal, unfortunately, may squander the city’s greatest remaining development opportunity.”
Foreign Art Dealers Set Up Shop In China
“China’s art boom lures more overseas galleries to set up shop in the Chinese capital and the country’s economic growth and Olympic Games draw more business travelers and tourists.”
Anne d’Harnoncourt, 64
“One of the most powerful women in the modern art world, d’Harnoncourt had spent more than half of her lifetime at the Philadelphia Museum. She joined the PMA staff in 1972, became director in 1982, and succeeded Robert Montgomery Scott in 1996 as the museum’s chief executive. Over the years, she has overseen any number of internationally recognized exhibitions.”
Bo Diddley, 79
Diddley died of heart failure Monday. He had suffered a heart attack in August 2007, three months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa.
Is Kindle The Next Big Thing? (Or A Passing Fad)
“One publisher estimated that Amazon had sold roughly 10,000 Kindles, while another estimated that as many as 50,000 electronic-book readers of all types are in general circulation. But both publishers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that those figures were little more than educated guesses.”