April 9, 2013

• paolo soleri

  

  isn’t a name many people recognize.  i was incredibly fortunate to have been awarded a fellowship and i spent a summer as an intern working on a project that mr. soleri had made his life work.  he believed that a better architecture existed.  that a better means of existing with our environment was necessary to sustain the future of humanity.  in his vision ‘arcology’ was the solution – the combination of architecture and ecology.  mr. soleri passed today, at 93 – in fact on the very same date that his ‘mentor’ and ‘hero’ – frank lloyd wright died.  april 9th.  ironic – mr. soleri was far from the egomaniac and pompous ass than mr. wright was – he was quite, shed the limelight and it was a pleasure to have known, talked, laughed and sweated for this man.  

  mr. soleri founded cosanti and arcosanti – two structures, events – even that will define his legacy.  he believed that the form of the city needed to be more resolutely integrated into the earth, our earth – and that man and his built environment should reflect this ideology. that our cities needed to be self-reliant – grow our own foods, employ our own people; be heated and cooled by the earth…

  here’s the wikipedia link:    and some others as well:

  all my images from my summer spent at arcosanti are on slides – at some point i hope i can move them to a digital format.  it was one of the most wonderful summers of my life.  the other interns that summer – we never kept in touch, but we traveled extensively throughout the southwest on our weekends – the grand canyon; the prescott bluegrass festival; glen canyon damn; montazuma’s castle…  we spent the night camping on a debris littered road – thinking we were going to wright’s talesin west when we awoke…  however the cops at 2:30 am weren’t particularly amused to find us sleeping in a dump that was more notorious for nefarious ongoings than what we would have ever anticipated.  ultimately they believed our plight and let us remain until daybreak – but then made it clear not to return – i remember we were all good with that. talesin west was a let down when compared with what we were experiencing at arcosanti.  there was a vibrancy, a pulse – ayn rand (one of my least favorite authors) wouldn’t have understood.  we were all just happy to do – something – there was no ego in our mission, no hero worship, no pettiness.  

  bronze and ceramic bells were being made; bread baked; an amphitheater being built.  trust me – it kicked my ass.  we worked from 5:30-7:30 – had a 1/2 hour or so for breakfast and a meeting and then back to jack hammers and cement mixers.  my supervisor was rocco lombardi. he is forever etched in my mind.  a 55 year old mason off the boat from italy – he used to ask me everyday, several times a day – ‘why when i come to america, everything motha-fucka?  motha-fucka this…  motha fucka that?!?  everything motha-fucka?’  i just smiled, probably foolishly and mixed the mortar and moved his shaded work area…  it was so damn hot.  the rock in that part of the country is volcanic and someone had broken the bucket on the backhoe so we had to haul all of our debris up – and out of the amphitheater by hand.  and all the mortar and concrete we’d mix and load into 5 gallon buckets and haul into our hole.  you’d cut your hands loading, run your leg against a rock and rip open your shin or thigh…  good times.  but i loved it.  i was sun drenched and ripped after that stint… 

  i read most of the ‘dune’ & ‘ hobbit’ series’ at night – after eating dinner and showering and some tired conversation i’d shake out my sleeping bag to make sure there weren;t scorpions or tarantula’s in it…  and just read.  let my mind escape into the world of frank herbert and the pure genius of jrr tolkien.  i guess most people read that stuff in high school – i was too busy doing elvis knows what – so i had some catching up and it was wonderful. 

  i did have a love interest that summer – some chick named erin something…  didn’t work out – she had a boyfriend and had already been busted cheating on him once – so i guess i wasn’t good enough to make it number 2…  no loss… 

  there’s been some blogs a bit back about this stuff – the best times of our lives – and i’ve been kicking it around in my head – and well rip mr. soleri – and thanks – thanks for having had an impact on my life.  i’m proud to say i knew you. 

   

  • 5:55 pm
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