October 2021
Humour
55/01
Humour
This is issue is made to make our rusty communication skills after this pandemic a bit more smooth. If you read it your social interactions will definitely grow, just practice a bit! Go talk to your neighbour who is sitting next to you and after a little effort it will get better, really! Humour we can all use, don't we?
Editorial team
Inez Margaux Van Oeveren, Robert van Overveld, Oliwia Jackowska, Jonas Althuis, Alessandro Rognoni
With contributions from
Edgars Jane, Berend
Cover design by
Editorial Team
Editorial
Let's start this issue with Frank Lloyd Wright. Why Frank? Because he appeared to be an architect with two lives; one who he created and one he lived. But the truth is also that his appreciation of architecture was outshone only by his preference for himself. In a way that can be understandable, given he is one of the best-known architects in American history..! Nevertheless, you can find humour in the way he translated his thoughts in documentaries or books.
So if you’re not very confident, as Frank Lloyd Wright about your design decisions, you can probably use some of Frank Lloyd Wright's "insightful" comments. Whatever comes your way, Frank might make it easier to deal with…
When you are disgusted by something and don't want to say it directly…
There is nothing more uncommon than common sense. - Frank Lloyd Wright.
When you're talking with someone who doubts your architectural understanding...
Why, I just shake buildings out of my sleeves. – Frank Lloyd Wright.
When the only thing you have built was present for a second…
Regard it as just a desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral. – F.L. Wright.
When you are graduating from architecture…
The retrospect of university years is mostly dull pain. – Frank Lloyd Wright
I hope that Frank has set you in the mood for this issue. We tried to unveil the dark side but also the light side in HUMOUR. We will take you into the confidence of criticising, some international humour, stereotypes, war of humour and more. But very important even though architects seem to others very rigid and straightforward. We know that we have a lot of fun, right? Think about all those memes, quotes and specially made Instagram accounts dedicated to the failures of architecture.
Not to forget, the days are becoming more and more 'normal'. We hope that HUMOUR gives that extra sparkle during a long day at the faculty. Share your reads with others and gather at the faculty now that you're able to again. Come out of your shell, even though it may feel a little uncomfortable. Try to find that humour in daily activities in the BK City, because we all know that most of your student life will take place here, so make the best of it!
The year has just begun; for some, it's very new, for others familiar, but new faces for all.
Good luck this year!
Contents
From the editors
4 - 5
pg.
Joke design is a historical, multidisciplinary, and interstitial practice. As such, it is (a priori) embedded in our understanding of the world as a joke. In the coming text, our objective will be to structurally delineate a universal understanding of joke design. Although, this will not be a definition per se (Foucault, M. 1973), but rather a definition in itself (Benjamin, W. 1922).
Pen Pal
6 - 7
pg.
Deep down we are all pubescent little children. Or in any case, I probably am. I pretend that when I look at a building I check for the right proportions, materials and concept. But somewhere in this very serious process of evaluating a piece of architecture my brain makes one final check: does this building resemble genitals in any way? Often it does. Am I just a degenerate or have stumbled on a common motif in architecture?
Pen Pal
8 - 12
pg.
From 1912 - 1948 Architecture was officially an Olympic Discipline. There is a lineage of Olympic Champions in Architecture, and that is a fact.
From the editors
13 - 15
pg.
Hey you!
Probably you are reading this because you are dating an architect, or maybe about to...! But more than likely, you are searching for one or you are just curious. If you belong to the first group, already dating, then you can consider this article as a reminder of how lucky you should be to be dating someone with these unique talents and characteristics.
From the editors
16 - 17
pg.
Many jokes play off of stereotypes. One such stereotype is that of the architect that only wears black clothing and takes themselves very seriously. It’s true, architects like this exist, but a short walk around our faculty proves that there is a colourful variety of clothes that we designers wear. “Designer Wardrobe”, an illustration by Jonas Althuis.
From the editors
18 - 21
pg.
Recently built in London, the MVRDV designed Marble Arch Hill is just the latest case of ‘pavilion for the pavilion’s sake’. But while the premise of an artificial hill might be worth a laugh, the project also raises questions on whether it still makes sense to build temporary structures as vehicles for social (and commercial) aggregation.
From the editors
23 - 25
pg.
About ten years ago, at the dawn of my pubescence, there was one pastime you could often find me and my peers doing. It wasn't trying to charm girls. It certainly wasn't sporting. It wasn't even gaming (though I did plenty of that too). It was spending time on the internet, and it was glorious.
From the editors
26 - 29
pg.
It was April 4th 1960. The realm of the Polish cinematic art scene became divided in how to represent the nation’s painful recent history. In the aftermath of unmeasurable destruction and hardship as Poland became Europe’s battlefield, the filmmakers faced challenges in preserving the memory of suffering and reflecting the moods of their society.
30 - 31
pg.
This is not our usual 'Artefact'. Where last year, these pages were dedicated to beloved objects of the BK City staff members, the editorial team wants to approach it somewhat differently this year. We aim to examine the artefacts of architecture and planning in the broader world that surrounds our faculty. As inauguration of this concept, we examine fragments from old editions of Bnieuws that date back to the 60s, 70s and 80s. These old editions, stored at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, are a fantastic insight into the world that our faculty used to be. The hand drawn comics and illustrations from these historic editions were used to create the cover of this edition.
From the editors
32
pg.
BKino is intended as an informal event (a cinema and, therefore, not a cine-forum) aiming at recreating a culture of participation and studentship within the faculty, now that things are opening up to, almost, a pre-pandemic state of affairs. The proposed films follow neither a particular theme nor a specific style. The only recurrent aspect of the program is to have films that are ‘set in places’, with a clear intention to narrate not simply the protagonist’s tale, but also the story of their settings, whether real or fictional. This approach follows a belief that people interested in the built environment, when watching films collectively, will enjoy talking with each other about space and place, and how the film camera, as a narrative tool, relates to them in distinctive ways.