May the Architects Please Stand?

If you look around in the metro nowadays you will see a lot of missed opportunites for good architectural work that should have or could have been done to our public landscape. There seems to be a huge void to fill in terms of the functional and aesthetics needs of the public. I'm sure this is not lost to the city fathers as well as the people who inhabit the cities themselves and they do what they can to fill this void but they can surely use a lot of professional architectural help towards that end.

For instance, we have been and still are a basketball crazy nation and the need to follow the exploits of and cheer for our favorite teams is only equaled by our need to play the game itself. There is no shortage of basketball coverage and merchandise so our need for those are more than covered. There is however an acute shortage of playable courts so much so that the words "people's court" has taken on a whole new meaning. You see, "people's court" for most Manila dwellers is not a popular judiciary system but rather two basketball goalposts set up right smack in the middle of the street and often fenced around with old automobile tires or rusty steel barrels. Well the people get a place to play but this of course renders the street taken over as being unable to fulfill its primary function as a medium for transportation and not as a playground.

Shouldn't we really have a place to play sports which wouln't interfere with other social functions and activities? Or maybe, we should have a place to play sports which would actually enhance other social functions and activities.

A street for cars AND for sports? Maybe.

Our love affair with gambling is also somehow affecting our cityscape by increasing the numbers of open casket funerals on city sidewalks. How is gambling and funerals connected with one another? Well, gambling has always been expected and tolerated during wakes and this fact has not escaped the very enterprising elements of our society. "Have funeral will gamble" is their motto as they would set up funerals which sometimes last in months at a time!

Shouldn't we have a place to play chance that wouldn't have to rely on such a morbid situation in order to be viable? A nice clean place maybe which is not conducive to criminal activity or nurturing of impulsive gambling disorders. A place that could definitely do without a rotting corpse as part of the decorations and maybe nice enough to bring the whole family together. Could be.

There are a lot of other things the public maybe and could be doing that impacts the aesthetics and functions of the urban landscape but what they can and should be doing instead can probably fare better, as I mentioned, with some professional architectural help among other things.

Let us not forget the city fathers I have mentioned earlier. They have a couple of ideas up their sleeves too to what to do with our publicscape. They are for all intents and purposes our aesthetic navigators for the city at large. However, and obviously, not all of them are qualified in this respect. They are at best master of illusions refusing to honor this role or, if they do, they often than not surround themselves with men equally unqualified for the task at hand.

How else to explain the quality of so called city art (more popularly known as MMDA art) plastered on such prominent places like the gigantic columns on some flyovers or lengthy retaining walls alongside busy thoroughfares. I'm sure the people who have done these pieces are artists in their own right but I'm guessing that works that would occupy places of prominence in the city should have higher aspirations with regards to artistic criterias and public acceptance. Some works done by people with no artistic inclinations whatsoever but were simply assigned by city officials to do public pieces simply would not do. I wouldn't be a least be surprised if the "mystery" MMDA artists surfaces one of these days and turns out to be a blind 3 year old kid.

I don't think we've run out of very talented artists just yet nor shall we ever. Maybe a lesson in creative collaboration is in order for city hall. Maybe.

Functionality is also a big concern for city leaders but its also where they fall short sometimes. Of course there should always be some space for mistakes to be made as humans are always inclined to do them but the size of the mistakes made should be controlled as best as we can. I'm afraid though that things like the "street urinals" some of our city officials are dreaming up could be one of the biggest mistakes ever made in our history as a civilized people. The potential mistake is so much so that the word "civilized" could be wiped out of international perceptions for our beloved country.

Whose "briight idea" is it to think that since there are a lot of people urinating on the streets that it might be good to just officially designate places for urination. How is it possible for this "great idea" to be born without the benefit of plumbing, sanitation, gender sensitivity (as this obviously is more feasible for the men than for the women), modesty or common sense. All you have literally is a peeing spot much like a fire hydrant or a post is to a dog.

If you ask if I was being sarcastic about calling the idea "bright" and "great", you're damn right I am. This is crazy!

Wouldn't it be so nice to have very beautiful, functional, economically feasible and self-sufficient public toilets? It wouldn't be so hard to dream up of one I'm sure.

Anyway, we've gone through quite a bit about the whole circuit on public landscapes......... about the movers, the shakers and the possibilities. The probable beneficial role of architecture in the whole equation begs the question of where are the architects in all of this anyway? Where are they when we need them?

Are some of them sitting on their self-conceived thrones waiting for someone to pray to them for help? I would hope that all architects are not that high minded and are not only obliged but actually willing to sweat for public work. Hey, let's face it, public work is not a realm often given a second look by the architectural circle which is primarily weaned on the glamour and standards of first world practice. First world architecture is not a bad goal to shoot for but not being grounded in the reality of being in a third world framework can be disastrous.

Of course, being in a third world framework means rolling in bureaucratic mud and political dirt. Now who would be willing to do that?

Well, we can only hope. May the best of our architects as well as the best in our architects be active participants in renewing and strengthening this framework starting now.

Let the architects show themselves and be counted please.

Now is the time.




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