[design] GZ eyeballed {intermission}


one important area of symbolism was overlooked in
the WTC redevelopment effort that does exist and
is part of the pantheon of typological substance:
the skyscraper as phallus. while perspectives of
modernism have revolved around plan, section,
elevation, and perspective (if bird's or worm's
eye views) -- these perspectives are the only
ones taken into account for this symbolic issue.

the connection between vertical poles, towers,
and other symbolic objects related to phalluses
has a prehistoric origin which has continued
throughout the ages, with early pagan symbols
of literal male genitalia which were later
transformed by further abstraction into basic
pole while retaining similar symbolic meaning.

most all skyscrapers have been compared in
this way to giant phalluses, some more literal
than others, as part of this building type.
that may give some extra meaning to boasts
of World's Tallest skyscraper and continuing
quest to build bigger, and supposedly better.

cruel irony, then, that in this competitive
search to build the World's Tallest skyscraper
with the WTC redevelopment effort, that there
is an unfortunate and ideologically unforeseen
problem with operating by the old worldviews:
specifically, the advent of satellite imagery
of architectural site plans, buildings, and
developments throughout a variety of lighting,
shade and shadowing conditions, including clouds.

as pioneered as a device by Cryptome.org and
Cartome.org, the use of satellite maps and the
associated imagery and data sets of GIS unveils
another perception of environments, no less in
importance than Nolli maps, for looking at the
issues of space, meaning, place, context, etc.

therefore, it should be understandable that a
common approach to reviewing a building today
and in immediate future must also take into
account the issues of a site in this scale
and perspective, even if it exists beyond the
vanishing point of traditional modern observers.
out of sight is no longer out of mind when such
site images can be called up with Google maps.

with the insistence of a Freedom Tower declaring
the independence of its 1776' phallus structure,
the choice of two voids directly below such a
structure may have an unfortunate connotation
to satellite watchers as this rather bizarre
combination approximately recreates the actual
anatomy of the male genitalia moreso than most
structures ever built at this same world scale.
the former footprints of the WTC towers 1 & 2,
now memorial voids, are as much akin to gonads
as has ever been found in large scale buildings.
except, as with the title of the memorial project
"Reflecting Absence", the symbolic commentary is
even more dire-- memory is effectively castrated.

this is fair game- it is architectural symbolism
101 for skyscrapers, yet the new dimension has
been added, the memorial voids which are a result
of designing separate pieces without relation to
larger plans so that massive planning mistakes as
these would never even be considered as an option.
such a design would have been changed and revised,
yet satellite perspectives are still outside the
considerations of modern, status-quo architectural
evaluation, though only because it has yet to be
critical in terms of reviewing a project's worth.

yes, this is now a second major symbolic element on
the site besides a parking ramp Culture Museum at
ground level. using an astronaut's view of the WTC
redevelopment, the architectural statement that has
been chosen is the .US response to 9/11 for all of
the world to see and exploit such strategic errors.


JPEG image


Folow-ups
  • Re: [design] GZ eyeballed {intermission}
    • From: Cheryl McGrath
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