Satirical Regionalism John Eraña · Puso Ni Mang Juan (Dagger at the heart of Mang Juan; See...
Transcript of Satirical Regionalism John Eraña · Puso Ni Mang Juan (Dagger at the heart of Mang Juan; See...
Satirical Regionalism John Eraña April 1, 2008
An architecture of satire can resist the negative social impacts of globalization. The
program will include a hybrid between a shopping mall and garment manufacturing
facility on one of Manila’s most populated and heavily trafficked areas. In order for
Manila’s culture to resist the negative social impacts of globalization, it must be critically
aware of its own existence. Historic and civic building once contributed to strengthen a
culture, but such attempts at social change have lost their potency. The element of
satire can provide a stronger potency and thus the motivation for the core of thesis
project: an architecture of satire can resist the negative social impacts of globalization.
The mode of production will begin by decoding site conditions through time-lapsed
photography and this will satirically juxtapose opposing theoretical ideas to unveil stark
truth. Built sculptural models will convey these outcomes to create the form of the
building. To study the hybrid interior program, models and drawings will be made to
study satirical components such as duality, contrast, crudeness, and simplicity. A built
form will result which would coerce manileños to re-think their cultural direction.
2
Thesis Premise: Architectural Satire against Globalization
The growth of many cultures in developing countries is suppressed by the negative
social impacts of globalization. As these developing countries race towards the
influence of modernization, people particularly their major cities, accept western
commodities and embrace the western values attached to them. In consequence,
western values replace corresponding values that were already in place as building
blocks of a culture. Thus, cultural detachment takes places.
Kenneth Frampton states that a culture requires a “critical self-consciousness” to resist
the negative social impacts of globalization. This notion claims that a culture must not
only be aware of the negative social influences which penetrate its boundary, but it must
also be aware of the culture’s inherent composition. This “critical self-consciousness”
unfolds an architecture which is completely derived from the means of its own culture
and region.
The architecture of developing countries which promote this “critical self-consciousness”
is undeniably present in its cities, but its potency to play a role in social change has
been long ago diluted. If we want to grab hold of an inattentive contemporary society,
we requires a strong contrast to people’s repeating day-to-day cycles- this can be done
through satire, a literary often utilized to express the condition of a society. Because
architecture is representational, satire can be conveyed through it. Thus one can
engage in a spatial experience of contrast, sarcasm and ridicule, in which a clear image
of a people’s cultural downfall under globalization can be unveiled and ultimately
persuade individuals into a self-questioning.
3
Primary Area of Study: Social Change through Satire
The core of the study will focus on an architecture of satire to resist the negative social
impacts of globalization. Kenneth Frampton’s essay Towards a Critical Regionalism:
Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance and Paul Ricoeur’s History and Truth will be
crucial references as they provide a basis for the infiltrating influx of global
universalization on cultures in developing countries. Their arguments resonate with the
cultural turmoil in Manila and they provide a platform for possible resolutions.
Within these core modules, further detailed studies will expose evidence of the negative
social impact of globalization on the Philippines and other post-colonial societies. Mark
Twain (1901), in To the Person Sitting in the Darkness, accounts the Philippines’
cultural turmoil under Americanization in the early 20th Century with the use of satire.
Similar accounts have been made by Celeste Olalquiaga (1992), in Megalopolis:
Contemporary Cultural Sensibilities, where she extracts satire in the relationship
between western influence and post-colonial Latin Americas culture. This subject has
been also been depicted in satirical visual art as shown in Antipas Delotavo’s Itak sa
Puso Ni Mang Juan (Dagger at the heart of Mang Juan; See figure 1).
The study of an appropriate type of satire will be a crucial element to this thesis (Griffin,
1994). The site and program must be succinct with the current direction of Manila’s
culture and must coalesce to create a physical form which manifests a satirical illusion
of an accelerated version of Manila’s society. As this illusion suggests bitterness,
manileños are persuaded to re-think their routinely way of life.
4
Program: Between Mall and Garment Manufacturing Facility
Shopping malls have increasingly become the most gravitating areas of human
congregation in developing countries in pursuit of modernization- they are safe, air-
conditioned, and their activities reach far more than the typical North American
shopping mall. The shopping mall is an appropriate program for this thesis as it conveys
a dynamic interface between globalization and Manila’s society and it also foster an
attempt to answer the question can a Philippine shopping mall exist without the
consequences of globalization? (Resonating Frampton’s “critical self-consciousness”)
In the spirit of satire, a garment manufacturing facility will stand across the store units.
Its identity however will not be present- its presence will be conveyed through a
mysterious and evocative aura which the entire mall will use as its own. The store units
in contrast with this aura will thus provide the potency necessary in the architectural
satire.
A third layer will reflect the cultural significance of the site. Atriums and open corridors
will adhere to a museum layout, displaying statues and remnants of the EDSA
revolutions which took place in the area. This centering layer will achieve an anchored
reference between globalization (retail stores) and the effects of globalization (garment
manufacturing facility).
There is a causal relationship with the 3 layers in that a cultural experience, although
perhaps appalling, perpetuates the numbers of entering shoppers (Pooler, 2003).
Meanwhile, an image of the modern culture of the Philippines will be understood.
5
Site: Driving by Satire
In order to reach a vast Manila audience, it is crucial that the site is located on a heavily
populated and diverse area of the city. The intersection in front of the EDSA shrine is
thus an ideal site for this thesis as it is the crossing point of the city’s most heavily
trafficked roads and highways. More over, its dense surrounding includes major
shopping malls, government buildings, and some of the cities tallest condos. The urban
energy on this site thus caters to an effective stage where a satirical physical form can
interact with the city (See Figure 2).
On a cultural dimension, the site also uncovers varying layers of historic events and
social conflict. The site is also the location of Edsa Revolution II & III, two events in
Philippine modern history when millions gathered to overthrow the government regime.
A large statue of Mother Mary marks the site and behind this religious icon are two
shopping malls. The subliminal conflict of church, globalization, and stage on the site
implies a conclusion to which a new architectural intervention can fulfill (See Figure 3).
Mode of Production: Satirical Sculptures
A collage through time-lapsed photography will be used to decode the EDSA shrine
site. As there are many points of access to the site from diverse groups, photographs
will isolate each path and unveil its distinctions. Once this is accomplished, photos will
depict opposing theoretical ideas, such as decay and progress for example. Articulately
putting these ideas side by side through collage will provide a stark satirical
6
commentary. Consequently, mundane aspects of everyday life may, at the very least,
be reinterpreted as crucial depictions of social problems.
These collages may also express worthwhile themes which can launch the creation of
model sculptures- this inform the form of the building as it appears from the outside. As
the architectural intervention must speak clearly to the city, it must have a physical form
consistent with its meaning. The creation of the building’s conceptual mass will be
motivated with the questions such as if the meaning of satire were to manifest itself as a
physical object, what would it look like as related to the social condition at hand? A
series of sculptures will be made.
The study of the interior of the building will follow the same method. Models and
drawings will be made to study the cores of satire: duality, contrast, crudeness, and
simplicity (See figure 4). Furthermore, the creation of such mediums will be motivated
by the question how can the aura of a garment manufacturing facility be conveyed
within a shopping mall?
7
Conclusion: Mirror of Self-analysis
My postulate states that the negative impacts of globalization can be resisted
through an architecture of satire. In order for Manila culture to resist globalization, it
must adhere to a “critical self-consciousness” of its own culture. Historic and civic
building once contributed to advocate this notion, but such attempts at social change
have lost their potency. Satire in form of architecture is a more potent agent to reunify a
disuniting culture. It creates a bitter irony of the Manila society in such a way that it
illustrates a tragedy and ultimately coerces manileños to re-evaluate their routinely way
of life. Satire as a theme must then resonate through the program, site, and mode of
production. The program which includes a shopping mall and garment manufacturing
facility will serve as a satirical tool to allow an audience to reevaluate a hidden truth
about their condition. As the required conflict may appear gruesome, the most difficult
design challenge to motivate the thesis entails a viable retail scenario and the
avoidance of exploiting garment manufacturing workers. The site chosen is able to
express satire in an urban scale. Fronting the most heavily trafficked road intersection
in the city, it is able to speak to the vast Manila populace. Moreover, its conflicting
political, historic, and economic layers require a conclusion which is absent on the site.
The mode of production will be able to coalesce both site and program into sculptures,
models, and drawings. Such mediums will reflects the projects themes and ultimately
result in a physical form which will allow manileños to adhere to a “critical self-
consciousness”.
8
Committee and Resources:
Thesis advisor: Professor David Theodore.
Professor David Theodore’s expertise in contemporary architecture would be beneficial
to the thesis as it demands a strong grasp of culture, globalization, and the complexities
of modern society.
As the subject of this thesis is based in on a Philippine site, it is crucial I am able to
obtain resources when I visit Manila during the summer. In order to understand the
contemporary problems of Manila, I will conduct interviews with professors from the
architecture schools in the city. In addition, I will obtain plan drawings and technical
information from the urban department in the city of Manila.
9
List of Primary Sources:
Frampton, Kenneth. “Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance” in Hal Foster ed., The Anti-Aesthetic. Seattle: Bay Press, 1983.
Frampton explains that in order to resist the penetration of the negative social
impacts of globalization within a cultural domain, a culture must undergo “a high
level of critical self-consciousness”. This framework is crucial to the thesis as it
suggests a forum of possible solutions to the cultural predicament which Manila
faces. It brings light to the historic and civic buildings in Manila by unveiling their
weak potency to play a role in cultural identity in the contemporary society.
Ricoeur, Paul. History and Truth. Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1965.
Paul Ricoeur claims universalization is an “advancement of mankind,” however it
slowly destroys the “creative nucleus of all cultures”. He provides an account of
developed countries under globalization and puts forth a predicament which
gives a rise to the motivation of the thesis: how can a developed country be
modernized, but still be able to participate in the benefits of globalization?
Delotavo, Antipas. “Itak sa Puso ni Mang Juan (Dagger at the Heart of mang Juan).”
Watercolor on paper, 1976. As reproduced in Angel Velasco and Luis Francia, Vestiges of War: The Philippine-American War and the Aftermath of an Imperial Dream 1899-1999, pg. 76. NY: New York University Press, 2002.
This painting frames an image of the negative social impacts of globalization
towards a Filipino. It resonates the core principles of satire: simplicity and duality
is shown by the use of only two elements, contrast is shown by the use of color
and the opposing subjects, and crudeness is shown by simple overlay of one
subject over another. Nonetheless, the painting ultimately implies truth. As the
painting contains these elements, it acts as a narrative to center the focus
towards understanding satire.
10
Twain, Mark. 1901. To The Person Sitting In Darkness. In Vestiges of War: The Philippine-American War and the Aftermath of an Imperial Dream 1899-1999, 2002, ed. Angel Velasco and Luis Francia, 57-67. New York: New York University Press.
In this essay, Mark Twain accounts the Americanization of the Philippines in the
early 20th Century. He claims that Filipinos blindly accepted the hand of America,
believing it were for meritful and innocent. He uses satire strongly as a way of
persuasion as he speaks to his American audience: “we must arrange his
opinions for him (the Filipino)… We must bring him to, and coax him and coddle
him, and assure him that the way to Providence are best, and that it would not
become us to find fault with them.” Satire is strong in the end when Twain
imitates a message to Filipinos: Your country is in ruins, however, it is okay
because it is in the name of progress and civilization. This text is thus helpful in
narrating a method in which satire can be used in the thesis project.
11
List of Secondary Sources:
Bills, Mark. The Art of Satire: London in Caricature. London: Philip Wilson Publishers,
2006. Delmendo, Sharon. The Star Entangled Banner: One Hundred Years of America in the
Philippines. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2004. Fanon, Frantz. 1963. The Wretched of the Earth. New York: Grove Press. Griffin, Dustin. 1994. Satire: A Critical Reintroduction. Kentucky: University Press of
Kentucky. Hines, Thomas. 1973. American Modernism in the Philippines: The Forgotten
Architecture of William E. Parsons. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 32: 316-326.
Kluckhohn, Clyde and Kroeber, A.L. 1952. Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions. New York: Vintage Books.
Marx, Karl and Engels, Friedrich. The Communist Manifesto. 1968. New York: Modern Reader.
Olalquiaga, Celeste. Magalopolis: Contemporary Cultural Sensibilities. Minnesota: Pooler, Jim. Why We Shop: Emotional Rewards and Retail Strategies. Connecticut:
Praeger, 2003. Rafael, Vicente. White Love: and Other Events in Filipino History. Michigan: Duke
University Press, 2000. University of Minnesota Press, 1992. Villalón, Augusto F. Lugar: Essays on Philippine Heritage and Architecture. Makati,
Philippines: The Bookmark Inc, 2001.
12
Appendix: Figures
Figure 1. Itak Sa Puso Ni Mang Juan (Dagger at the heart of Mang Juan) by Antipas Delotavo. Watercolor on paper. 38.1 x 55.88 cm, 1976.
Figure 2: Edsa intersection, Manila (Google Earth image)