FRANK GEHRY, NEWS
THE PRESIDENT OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND FRANK GEHRY
OCTOBER 24, 2014 MARCO RINALDI
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FRANK GEHRY, NEWS
THE PRESIDENT OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND FRANK GEHRY
OCTOBER 24, 2014 MARCO RINALDI
8
CCTV by Rem KoolhaasThe President of the Republic of China Xi Jinping asked for the end of the construction of “weird buildings” in China and especially in Beijing, giving as an example the CCTV Rem Koolhaas of OMA, nicknamed “Big Pants” by the locals, such as the ‘building that should not be made in the Chinese capital?’. With his declaration he states that “China is not a testing ground for foreigners” and wants to restore those cultural and aesthetic values more suited to the Chinese people with a clear reference to Chinese nationalism, which wants to be the bearer, having previously opened the doors not only to Western architecture but especially in international business.
Frank Gehry at a press conference with El Mundo in Oviedo in Spain, not far from his Guggenheim in Bilbao, answers this question “how do you respond to those who accuse you of practicing architecture flashy” raising his middle finger. It goes on to saying: “let me tell you one thing. In this world we are living in, 98 percent of everything That Is built and designed today is pure shit.
Frank Gehry in OviedoThere’s no sense of design, no respect for humanity or for anything else”. To relate these two events occurred in two different contexts and with different times is definitely a stretch, but determine a single reflection. Two stararchitects, as Koolhaas and Gehry, although criticized and questionable for their architecture, they can not be challenged for their creativity and ability to interpret and anticipate the times.
Frank Gehry and Xi Jinping
Frank Gehry and Xi Jinping at the Walt Disney Concert Hall
Their works, which like it or do not like, are the result of a theoretical complex process that can not be described as eccentric or odd. Every manifestation criticism about their alleged creativity must be compared with their results, not just professional. The case of Bilbao is just an example of a former industrial city reborn thanks to Gehry’s Guggenheim able to attract 9 million visitors a year.