Ole Bowman, an architectural theorist, is known for his manifestos, curatorial and publishing projects - he was the editor-in-chief of the independent magazine Volume, curator of many exhibitions and restorations of public buildings, and lecturer at leading universities. In Russia, he is mainly known for his publications in Project Russia magazine. He now runs one of the most influential international architecture institutes, the Netherlands Architecture Institute / NAi /.
Even before the start of the lecture, having seen the completely packed hall of the Moscow Architectural Institute, the architect noticed that in Holland, due to fire safety, such an event would simply be canceled - but not in Russia. Then he shared his impressions "from the meeting with the Russians." The first thing he associates with our country is the distance, or rather the craving for overcoming them: thanks to which, in his opinion, we defeated Napoleon. The second impression was inspired by the chess game of 1972, in which the Soviet chess player Boris Spassky and the American Bobby Fischer fought. Despite Fischer's victory, Bowman says, we all knew that Fischer was going crazy during the game: the main enemy he faced was patience. Another feature that he saw from his meeting with Russian cosmonauts is the ability of Russians to think abstractly. Today he sees that all these features are embodied especially vividly: Russian architecture is aimed mainly at instantly overcoming distances and quickly obtaining results.
After such a precise observation, Ole Bowman turned to the main topic of his lecture, which can be summarized as follows - how in the era of bright individualism of the "stars" of architecture, in the era of brands, to become truly individual?
“The main criterion for recognition in architecture today,” says Bowman, “is individuality: the main thing is that the building is not like its neighbors, then it will be noticeable and accordingly recognized. This disease has spread all over the world today, and here in Holland, too, everyone wants to be different from someone else. " In confirmation of his words, he turned to the audience with a question - "Is each of you really individual in this large crowd !?" A loud exclamation was heard in response. “It seems that yes,” smiled at Ole.
However, according to Ole Bowman, architectural individuality should not lie in the pursuit of uncommonness, otherwise it will lead to the grave. “If you really succeed in creating unique forms, then you will be devoted to several pages in the atlas of modern architecture” - and he pointed to the image of the popular book The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture - which is not only coffee table height, but also itself is nothing more than a coffee table! . In his opinion, individuality should be expressed not so much in material objects, but in how much the architect manifests himself as a person: in the media, how he knows how to talk with the audience, formulate his theses, etc. One of the approaches proposed to young authors sounded somewhat paradoxical - an architect, in his opinion, should be inactive, having received an order, not to build anything. Bowman did not fully explain his thought, but apparently, proceeding from the principle “bad news spreads faster than good news,” suggested shifting the emphasis from purely architectural practice to the author's media statement.
In order not to become a hostage of the general network, it is necessary, says Ole, to create your own network. In his opinion, this network or coalition should include quite independent structures, consisting of a "school", "office" and "publishing house". As an example, he cited a structure to which he himself is related, consisting of Columbia University, the architecture bureau OMA-AMO and the Archis magazine. “At the same time, - notes the architect, the magazine is very small, OMA is a small but well-known bureau, and the school is very large - thus, being united in one chain, they can influence various spheres of life”. "By creating your network, you are demonstrating your strength!" We can say that in fact we are talking here about creating a network, on the principle of which all today's corporations are created, and which provides a deep, almost virtual penetration of the organization.
If we talk about the form, the main thing, according to Bowman, is that the building should not be just a beautiful sculpture, but be alive: it would go beyond pure architecture, merge with other types of art and, in general, different aspects of life. "Then architecture will really be able to influence both the economy and the development of cities."
As a meaningful aspect of such architecture, Ole Bowman suggested the best option for its development - simply a solution to pressing problems facing society. The first task, the architect believes, is to create a "refuge" - "in which one could hide from a huge metropolis such as Moscow." The second problem that needs to be addressed is security - terrorist, climatic, urban, etc. “The question here is - is it possible to come up with something fundamentally new, and not use traditional methods for protection: video surveillance, guards, dogs …?”. Another equally important problem is the problem of ecology and energy saving. "Today we already know that architecture can generate energy by itself, but imagine what it would be like if this room was heated by the energy of our bodies, how much could be saved!" The fourth problem he sees is positive. “Often times, an architect serves the needs of people who want to distance themselves from others. We need to think - can we create cities in which people would be comfortable living together. " And the last task is to build a dialogue between the architect and the resident, the customer. “If you really want to be different, you always need to maintain a dialogue. Therefore, I consider it very right, for me as an architect, to be invited to Russia, where I could communicate with the architectural community and thus start a dialogue."
