10
MAPEO 9
barbecues also provide food for thought: The Philosopher John Searle speaks to us of how, in all intellectual eras there are certain problems that are so great that they conform no so much questions as they do a kind of horizon, from where another great amount of questions can be formulated. These problems, he continues, are usually few but tend to be so large that we can spend 5 years in the University without anyone telling us that they effectively are a problem. (24) In any case –following some of Searle’s reasoning—I think that the “number one” problem of architecture and urbanism today comes all the way from when the first Man self-proclaimed himself Architect, and can be expressed in the following manner: How do we reconcile our training and our wish to practice our profession as technical, rational, conscientious, sensible and free Architects, with a city or environment that presents itself to us as immune to plans, incomprehensible, irrational, without consciousness, insensitive and that in great measure secludes us? fig 11.
Thinking about it now, I believe that the evident differences between the barbecue on the Antarctica, the barbecue grills in the Almanac, and the mobile half-barrel of my friend Felipe, (all devices capable of roasting meat horizontally, over an iron grill, using embers generated by the combustion of firewood) are a nice metaphor of the answers that architecture in extreme conditions, architecture of the recent past and our contemporary architecture have to offer in the face of (in the words of Venturini) “requirements of yore”. Requirements as old as the first architect and our horizon of questions. But easy! Today I’m not going to get into details. The question that arises probably will never be answered and is far from being motive for despair. We must accept that before certain questions “Ignoramus et ignorabimus” and –in the end—what is important
Pensándolo ahora, creo que las evidentes diferencias entre el asado en la antártica, los parrilleros del Almanaque y el medio tanque móvil de mi amigo Felipe, (todos dispositivos capaces de asar carne de forma horizontal, sobre una rejilla de hierro, a partir de las brasas generadas por la combustión de la leña) son una linda metáfora a propósito de las respuestas que la arquitectura en condiciones extremas, la arquitectura del pasado reciente y nuestra arquitectura contemporánea tienen para ofrecer frente a (en palabras de Venturini) “requerimientos de antaño”. Requerimientos tan viejos como los del primer arquitecto y nuestro horizonte de preguntas. Pero tranquilos! Hoy no voy a entrar en detalles. La pregunta que surge probablemente nunca sea contestada y dista de ser motivo para la desesperación. Debemos aceptar que frente a ciertas cuestiones “Ignoramus et ignorabimus” y – al final de cuentas – lo importante es que seguiremos haciendo asados con amigos más allá de los arquitectos y sus parrilleros.
Créditos - Página Actual. Fig. 11 Felipe Ridao, Invitación cumpleaños, detalle, 2010 Fig. 12 Felipe Ridao, Medio tanque móvil, 2010 / larejoda.com
Las notas de El Parrillero se encuentran al fondo.
fig 12.