photography, architecture , power

"The modern architectural drawing is interesting, the photograph is magnificent, the building is an unfortunate but necessary stage between the two."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/sep/18/architects-cities-jonathan-meades

From early in its history, photography was adopted by architects as a means of idealising their buildings. As beautiful and heroic, as tokens of their ingenuity and mankind's progress, etc. This debased tradition continues to thrive. At its core lies the imperative to show the building out of context, as a monument, separate from streetscape, from awkward neighbours, from untidiness. A vast institutional lie is being told in architectural magazines the world over, in the pages of newspapers and in countless television films. It's also being told on the web – which is significant, and depressing, for it demonstrates how thoroughly the convention has seeped into the collective




From my days of shooting architecture and interiors I know how true this is.  The controlled placement for the best lighting and he picture perfect framing.The exteriors of buildings that were about the presenting the best 'look' . Wall textures, colours, false facades  were all part of the architect's 'design for the photograph' attitude. 

Imperial capitals were designed for the facade. For the grand vista they presented.  Canberra,  New Delhi Thimpu are just three cities I have been to , that are about  officially ordered facades.  Designed by  Diktats. Presenting the best facades of, and for, power. 

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                                                          Greek facade.  Canberra

                                   
                                Greek facade.  Victoria Memorial, Calcutta./ Kolkotta

Mayavati's Maya. Lucknow. 

False facade capital. Thimpu, Bhutan 

This is a  quote from an earlier post  of the  article I wrote on Lutyen's Delhi.   

"As the Most Honourable Marquis of Crewe, Secretary of State for India put it:

The Government House should be a building which will stand out conspicuous and

commanding. As one approaches New Delhi the first object to come on view

should be Government House flying the British Flag. The buildings should not be

dominated by the Jumma Masjid and the Fort nor dwarfed by the Ridge.

The visual conspicuousness was necessary to demonstrate ‘the superiority of Western

culture over the Indian’ and to project the ‘power of Western Science, Art and

Civilization’ with an ‘architecture that represented the intellectual progress of those that

are in authority’. This use of architecture would ‘secure British world power and extend

the writ of Whitehall’."