Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Opens in Washington | News | Archinect.

A take (NY Times) on the most recent monument to grace the DC waterfront.

An opinion:

Monumental, kitsch, granite, needed: all words that apply to tons of rock, fashioned into form, immortalizing the man it represents.

But what of the means? And what of the sake of design? I have to argue that there is nothing less exciting than to see the kitsch translation of the infamous quote, “out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope”. Of course, to monumentalize the man responsible for stirring the spirits of man towards equality deems entirely appropriate; however, to pay him tribute by rendering his effigy unattainable and god-like squanders the importance of relations  that Dr. King so often encouraged and exemplified. There remains a seemingly innate fixation to design statues to reflect the accomplishments of a man by simply enlarging the mass of his figure. Enlarged figures tell us little more than “this person was important”, from which the viewer must resort to a quote or a bronze plaque to understand his contribution to our (national/global/universal) history. What would be preferred, to memorialize a man by enlarging his figure, or to call to attention his contribution through some other form of creative means?

It is design, after all.

Designing Is About The Decisions You Make Every Day | Co.Design.

Haven’t actually read the article yet, but the cover imagery got my attention.
Beautiful Image, and I certainly agree with the title…

Great conversation and discussion around preservation, architecture, addition… specifically for the instillation of art museums..

Similar conversation stemming from the types of spaces we create for art/culture… must the culture match the architecture.. vice-versa? neither?

Dezeen » Blog Archive » Moritzburg Museum Extension by Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos.

OMA “Three in One” – Lecture at the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam by Rem Koolhaas on Vimeo on Vimeo

A long (it’s Rem) but useful understanding of professional development. A semester in an hour, and it’s free.

From urban Ethiopia to LA: how hidden markets can become hit items in “developed” economies.

Best feet forward | Ethiopian Entertainment News.

What it is not: This is an ideal example of what the virtual marketplace is not.

Consider this image and website to be digital kitsch of a marketplace. Fake stalls, phoney colors, and floral patterns. They even went into the effort to include benches and light posts, objects that help us to navigate our physical environment, not our virtual environment. The images of the products are reduced to a 1″x1″ square on the computer screen. This is not what the virtual marketplace should be, or how it should respond to the needs of an emerging global marketplace.

interesting approach and site
(not to mention the guy is a great presenter)

Dezeen » Blog Archive » High Park by Rojkind Arquitectos.

small philadelphia firm
if you live in philly. check out their work @northbowl

bold simplicity – respect and representation of the past