CORB IN THE M’ZAB VALLEY

In the 23 May 2016 issue of  The New Yorker, Julie Belcove writes about a new architectural exhibition that is being constructed in the Guggenheim.

The artist is Kader Attia, and he has set out to construct a model of the hilltop fortress Ghardaia in the M’zab Valley of North Africa.  Apparently, the material he is using to construct the model is couscous.

In the New Yorker article, we learn that Le Corbusier visited this region of the world in the 1930s.  The article states that Attia was amazed to learn that Corb visited this region, and that Corb was captivated by the minimalist and traditional architectural traditions of the area.  Per the attached photo, it is easy to see the direct borrowing that Corb employed.

Of great interest to our purposes, Attia chides architects for being directly inspired by historical traditions without giving credit.

“Everyone knows that Braque and Picasso were strongly influenced by the tribal, primitive art of Africa.  This never happened in architecture.  We don’t know the influence of traditional architecture on architects like LeCorbusier” p27.

These pages said exactly this a few weeks ago.  We have touched on the critical importance of the provenance of our designs.  I believe it is a terrible omission that we are not taught the path of inspiration of great buildings and great architects.  We are not taught this, and the path of inspiration is not valued in our architectural culture.

Yet there would be so much to learn if, for example, in architectural history class, the inspirations and traditions that inspired Corb were taught.  Rather, we are shown a pretty photograph of a famous building, and that’s it.  We are taught and conditioned to simply accept this pretty photograph.  We are not taught or encouraged to learn about the influences that went into the work.

I just think that this leave a huge, gaping hole in our profession.  As Mr. Attia points out, we are taught about the influences on artists.  We are taught about the influences of music;  people are still arguing about the provenance of Paul Simon’s Graceland.

To try and catch up a bit, I did the above drawing of the Sidi Bramin Mosque located in the M’zab valley.  Do the plasticity of the walls which are incised with small openings that let in natural light remind you of anything?

Maybe the place to continue to do something about this is in these pages.