In a recent article in the New York Sun (subscription), James Gardner discusses Perspecta 37: Famous which poses the question: Does Fame empower or undermine architecture?
At one level, it is easy to see the truth of both propositions. Many architects who have succeeded in recent years, among them Mssrs. Libeskind, Gehry, and Koolhaas (despite his affected disdain for the blandishments of fame), have won important commissions by successfully marketing or branding themselves. This is not a lovely or edifying spectacle, any more than it is in pop music or film, but in architecture, as in anything else, you do what you have to do.
At the same time, this frenzy of renown has taken its toll, debasing a profession that appeared, until recently, to be largely divorced from the follies of popular taste and the degradation of having to serve, or even to acknowledge the existence of, the unwashed multitudes.
However, if you are willing to throw caution and self-respect to the wind, it turns out that it really isn’t that hard to become a famous architect. In the same issue of Perspecta 37: Famous, FAT, a London design firm, outlined the eight easy steps that you can follow to attain your dreams of architectural stardom:
Step One:
First, pay a visit to any well-stocked news agent. Buy one copy of each design magazine. You will use these to find out what not to do.
Step Two:
Now go to your local remaindered book store. Buy a copy of a design book with lots of pictures in it. Not only is the remaindered store cheaper, but its stock is between ten to fifteen years old. These are the least fashionable and so most shocking of all styles. You will use this to copy your new designs.Step Three:
On the way home, choose a name for your cutting-edge design firm. Something punchy, arty, and a little stupid should do. There are not too many rules about this but make sure it doesn’t include “urban” or “studio.” Your name will present an efficient image and suggest that you have an office in a fashionable part of town and a committed workforce. No one will know that you are really operating out of your bedroom.
Step Four:
Now that you have a name, you need a project. It must be a radical design of a house. It needs a catchy title. Pick a popular word or phrase, then add “house” to the end of it. If it sounds good, it is good. Scan in some of the pictures from your new book. Scan in some other pictures you like. Stick them together in the latest version of Photoshop. Play around until you get a nice picture that you can believe in. Check that it doesn’t look too much like the pictures in your magazines.Step Five:
Now it’s time to develop your mystique. This is all-important, because it is what you are selling. Remember, you won’t have to design a building for at least ten years. And in this time you will live off your mystique, so make it good. Mystique is what you say and the way that you say it. If you come from Continental Europe, great. If you don’t, pretend that you do. Mystique should also suggest revolutionary politics and French philosophy. Don’t talk about these things directly, as it never makes good copy and will only confuse you.Step Six:
In order to alert the magazines, you must write a press release. This should be full of good copy, convey your mystique, and have your telephone number on it.Know your audience: journalists. It’s important to remember that design journalists are desperate for anything interesting. This is because architecture is mainly boring. So be interesting. Make outlandish claims; tell them everything they know is wrong; most of all, be prepared to have a radical opinion on anything that may crop up in conversation. They will print it and thank you. Fax your press release to the magazines. The numbers are in the magazines you bought earlier.
Step Seven:
No rest yet, because you must now prepare the press packs that you will send out. You will be too busy answering the inevitable calls over the next few days, so do it now. The pack should contain your new picture and a radical design statement (see how useful developing that mystique was?).When the phone starts ringing, you know what to do: use your cutting-edge firm’s name, your exciting new house title, and your fascinating mystique to full effect. When the phone stops ringing, go to the post office and send your press packs out.
Step Eight:
Now it’s time to relax. Head on down to a fashionable architect’s bar (you will recognize it by its converted industrial look, expensive bar snacks, and the presence of people with strange glasses on). Enjoy yourself, but remember your mystique! All you need to do now is remember to buy the magazine that you are featured in.
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