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Banksy slams new world trade center in Op-Ed

Ol' Gravy Leg said:
This has always been my vote; but, the it never passed muster with the numerous constituent groups who had a say in the matter.
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Yeah, but building a Mosque on site -- er, I mean, "multi-cultural center" on site, passed with flying colors.
 
Antarius said:
Yeah, but building a Mosque on site -- er, I mean, "multi-cultural center" on site, passed with flying colors.
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Maybe if we build this Mosque they won't fly another plane through the new building?
 
Blankpage said:
Nah, terrorist have blow up plenty of Mosques. Maybe storing qurans on top of every building will keep them off limits
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That was supposed to be sarcasm. I don't believe that, but suggesting that might have been an unspoken misguided reasoning why a cultural center was approved. :dunno
 
Blankpage said:
Nah, terrorist have blow up plenty of Mosques. Maybe storing qurans on top of every building will keep them off limits
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They have done that too. This is a political fight fought with religion as cover.

As for One Trade Center, building the tallest skyscraper in the world would have been a big F U to the terrorists. In the days past, Americans were engaged in building the best stuff now we are content with appearing on shows like The Voice, America's Got Talent and Amazing Race. Guess it shows where the priorities of the general populace lie :|
 
Reli said:
Why build ANYTHING unless there's demand for it? I hope they did a study proving that they'd be able to reach full capacity, right? Otherwise it would be a colossal waste of money.
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I'm not sure if anybody told you this, but it's in Manhattan, the heart of the most important City in the world. It will reach capacity. :laughing
 
Dopesick said:
I don't think it's as boring as he lays it out to be. But I would like to think that a bit more modern flair would have been at least thought of. Shit, some of the buildings in Taipei, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Emirates, are just spectacular. In comparison, One World IS boring. In US design and architecture, it's not nearly as boring as the old towers were.
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Ironically, many of the overseas skyscrapers that are spectacular and cutting edge are designed by American architecture firms. The problem is in the conservative-ness of those who choose the designs. Example: any of the new skyscrapers going up in SF right now, or in the last thirty years. Yawn.
 
So let me get this straight. A talented artist who got his break in the scene by breaking multiple laws is slamming the USA for a building? The guy isn't even from here. Does his opinion even matter? Does he see it everyday and does it keep him up at night haunting his every thought?
 
Eldritch said:
I'm not sure if anybody told you this, but it's in Manhattan, the heart of the most important City in the world. It will reach capacity. :laughing
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If the rents are as expected.

Also, many firms undoubtedly left Manhattan after 9/11. Are they going to come back just because there's a new building? Maybe they relocated and don't want to bother relocating again.

Personally, building something as an "FU" to terrorists is stupid. All it proves is that you can spend money. If you want to "FU" terrorists, go kill them.

And who cares if some other country has the tallest building now. It's not impressive IMO. It's kinda like guys with big rims on their cars. Wow, you opened up your wallet and spent money so that you could show off. What an accomplishment!
 
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It was an interesting piece. The point about the loss of boldness from a city that was built on bold is particularly pointed, and accurate. It may seem sacrilegious to denounce a structure built in monument to those who lost their lives, and maybe that is why it was a story that was shut down. Another point is that this is coming from a foreigner. What better meter of our identity than someone who can actually see it from the outside without the biases (and excuses) we make for ourselves. Some of the best news coverage I have found of our own politics and practices has come from sources outside the US without such a significant internal vested interest.

While I think graffiti is vandalism, no matter how politically poignant, his work does stir discussion. This op-ed was another good discussion that should have been had a decade ago. It really is just another boring glass building with a park out front, when it could have been something substantial and grand; something that actually made a statement rather than blending in.
 
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I grew up under the towers and to this day the skyline is not of the city I was raised in. And fuck Banksy. He can go the fuck back to that houseing project of a country he's from.


The view from the roof of my apartment as a kid on the lower east side:
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Valgar said:
:p

http://www.salon.com/2013/09/10/captain_america_in_a_turban/?upw
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That's pretty fucking rad and encouraging.

On Banksy... I think he's the most interesting active artist on the planet right now. No one currently has his combination of fame and wit. I'm sure there are sharper tongues out there, but none have the stage he's developed for himself (or herself?).

His opinion matters no more or less than anyone's, which is why the NYT chose NOT to publish his op-ed, but the fact is, he's right. As would any nobody who had the balls to say it out loud. The new One World is boring. There is nothing audacious about it. But there probably never could have been. It was such an open wound the committee had no choice but to be extremely conservative... better to placate with mediocrity than offend with extremism. It's a shame that still the most beautiful tower in NYC is one completed in 1931 (Empire State Building), but it would have been a bigger embarrassment to spend a decade infighting over polarizing designs.
 
I like Eldritch's idea. Same thing, 1 foot taller. A legit one foot, none of that metric stuff.

It's a super subtle and modest way of saying we're kind of unfuckwithable.
 
I think it's completely legitimate for an artist, particularly one who works primarily with the built environment, to have an opinion on a major piece of architecture / urban redevelopment.

I agree with him that the design might tip the scales a little more towards bland rather than elegant, but that is of course largely subjective. Perhaps without the aggressive and somewhat shady value engineering process it might have some more character.
 
7WTC1_main.jpg


Props to SOM for the new 7WTC though, which they wrapped last year or the year before.
There's a blow up (which I simply can not find) of the photo on the right showing that silhouetted man against the skyline. Total sploosh, for those who are into that sort of thing.
 
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