Duany On the Avante-Garde

From the New Discourse list:

“The problem inherent in the contemporary architectural situation is not that it is modern, but that it is avant garde. The relentless pursuit of the unprecedented undermines two essential roles of architecture: the collective endeavor that is required for an urbanism; and the establishment of a transmissible body of knowledge. The latter prevents the teaching of architecture, thereby lowering the quality of the production.

I was just reading Susan Sontag's obituary in the Times. She became famous in the 6O's by arguing that the defining characteristic of the current avant garde is a 'sensibility  centered on artifice, exaggeration and the veneration of style.'

It became clear to me that the new discourse cannot be primarily about style. That would be complicit in the avant-garde sensibility, and it would be to engage in our opponent's discourse. Ours must be a deeply serious pursuit of an ethical architecture engaged in the important issues that confront our society. We should be based on the traditions that have shared these concerns—excluding neither the classical nor the modern where the can contribute.”

Andrés Duany
DUANY PLATER-ZYBERK & CO.
1023 SW 25th Avenue
Miami, Florida  33135
Phone: 305.644.1023
Fax: 305.644.1021
www.dpz.com