Opinion Paper #3

Following Deyan Sudjic's reading, architecture is produced by powerful political leaders such as Saddam Hussein and Napoleon III to glorify himself and show his authority to the world. Architecture is not a just building. It tells a story about the leader and the background of political, religion and phychology at that time.

Marshall Berman talks about broad meaning of "modernism" in his reading. He defines of modernism "as any attempt by modern men and women to become subjects as well as objects of modernization". However, the modernism went too far with our real lives. It actually crushed modernism freedom under the name of "modernism". He talks about modern in a negative way. He thinks that modern destroys all communities, values and lives. He also says the "modernism is realism" as you see from architecture and arts everywhere. Berman says "modernity" is "an experience of space and time, of the self and others, of life's possibilities and perils".

To be modern, we have to give up what we have, where we are ad how we are and go into the modern world which looks like great development of technology, human environment and industrialization. However, it gives to people lack of imagination, freedom, depth and meaning of their lives. Berman thinks that "we have missed or broken the connection between our culture and our lives". He gives an example, Brasflia in Brazil. The government of Brazil built Brasflia which is very huge modern looking architecture in the middle of city. The argument of this huge architecture is that the design doesn't go along with people's lives and culture in Brazil. They need a place where people can talk and hang out, but this place is overwhelming to Brazil people. The government tries to make their city as modern following the trend. However, they missed the goal where they are supposed to go for.

I don't think Sudjic and Berman's reading can be compatible. Sudjic talks about architecture in general idea that people already know about. For example, who and why the most famous architecture, Versailles, was built. In contrast, Berman tells about this own thought and opinions about modern world and he connects his thought to the real world, our real lives. I personally like the Berman's reading even though it shows lot of negative aspects of modernism and it was harder to read and longer because this reading is more realistic. This reading makes me think another aspect of modernism and realized how I am used to being in modern life without knowing.