Welcome to Zibaldone

Please login to update your blog

If you have suggestions or problems with the website please contact Tam Tran at info@tamthientran.com.

Member Login

Lost your password?
blog sette

photo taken from: http://www.travelpod.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t14761.html

History as seen through architecture becomes active when buildings serve a purpose other than being a “must see” stop on a tourist map. Active means doing something, showing involvement or energy. Therefore, when thinking about how a historical building can become active, how it interacts with people in current times becomes a key factor. The Coliseum for example, stands still in its majesty, and although it is a sight that definitely activates our imagination, it has become nothing more than a sight. You walk through an organized path following other hundreds of people, looking at a ruin. You don’t get to see the “sense” of the place because it has been lost. There is a level of irony in trying to keep alive a place by freezing it in time, because its active nature cant be preserved. An active history is a productive act. Buildings that are active can refer to history yet project and interact with the present culture. I saw an example of this during my trip in Paris. I went to visit Sainte-Chapelle because as an architecture student I couldn’t miss seeing one of the most important Gothic churches in France. Being there is an amazing experience incomparable to the images I had created in my mind from slides I’ve seen in History class. I was impressed not only by the stained glass and the lightness this space reflects, but because it is still active. Along the outside wall were a bunch of posters with the schedule of upcoming events. They now make use of the acoustic quality of this chapel to host frequent classical concerts, where tourists and locals alike can sit down and enjoy the beauty of this space. (I wasn’t able to go that day, yet it is now on my list of places I “must experience” when I return.)

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.