Monthly Archives: November 2014

Power Builds Power

I feel it is important to ask the question, is this a necessary worry for society or are we over thinking a not-fully-understood and patchy notion that our surrounding built environment has a bigger impact on society, as whole, than we imagine?

From my reading, I can gather that there is a huge emphasis and concern with how our built environment makes us think and act. I can gather and understand how ‘matter’ in a cityscape is seen as where the place and nature of ‘materials’ in society are used to figure out what is happening in the world that surrounds. I can even appreciate how Raymond Williams’ term ‘cultural materialist’ has made us realize how material cultures situate cultural materials that narrate a society. But I can not gather how it is acceptable for certain buildings to be a representation of the interests and power held by those with the power to build. Of course buildings should, and do, frame places, but not to the point where it becomes a competition to see who can build the biggest and most lavish building with pointless tassels and statues with marble this and teak that.

This ‘power builds power’ type of attitude is a typical aspect of urban architecture which resonates strongly with developments in modernity. All major World cities today are packed with daunting, colossal, powerful skyscrapers. Even today, with globalization, we see power exhibited everywhere in a similar ‘international style’. Monolithic in appearance, glass, steel, and concrete mega-structures dominate our cityscapes. Power in cities can be said to have it’s own global style. We are so comfortable with the idea that power builds power and poverty builds nothing. I feel that this is not right or fair, however, we live in a largely capitalist world and this will be an aspect of urban architecture that, I feel, will be here forever.

References:

“Material Culture”, D.P. Tolia Kelly, International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, Pg 500-504

“Urban Architecture”, P. Kraftl, International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, Pg 24-31

The Smallest Things Can Bring The Biggest Change

This blog entry will take a look at the enormous impact something as small as bacteria can have on major world cities. This blog entry aims to bring your attention to the qualities, conditions, and experiences of living in cities from the 17th-20th century.

A street-side vendor of cough lozenges and healing ointment in London in 1877. This is an example of the state of affairs. Prices would have set you back a penny to half-a-crown for a prescription of ointment with a box of lozenges costing a halfpenny and a penny for a packet.

'London Street Doctor' whose blindness was healed by the ointment he sells. Taken for from the "Street Life of London" exhibition, link to original photo embedded.

‘London Street Doctor’ whose blindness was healed by the ointment he sells. Taken from the “Street Life of London” exhibition, link to original photo embedded.

Next, Samarkland in Turkestan (present-day Uzbekistan) where we see a similar photo to the first in this blog entry, two street doctors in the early 20th century. The doctors have medical preparations and vials between them. The photographer used a special color photography process to visually record the 20th century Russian Empire.

Asian street docotrs between 1909-1915. The photo was taken by Russian photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii on a photography trip of the Russian empire with permission from Tsar Nicholas the 2nd.

Asian street doctors between 1909-1915. The photo was taken by Russian photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii on a photography trip of the Russian empire with permission from Tsar Nicholas the 2nd.

Exhibit of a costume that was worn by physicians attending plague patients in the 17th century. It consisted of a gown made from Moroccan leather with leather skirt, breeches, and boots all fitting into each other. The long beak-like nose was fitted with aromatic substances, commonly lavender.

Physician wearing 17th century plague preventive costume. Link to source embedded.

Physician wearing 17th century plague preventive costume. Link to source embedded.

Public disinfectors doing their job in a highly contagious London city. They were brought in due to sanitary legislation in an attempt to lower the death rate of the city and make conditions safer to live in. In addition, the rise of Capitalism lead to a desire for clean open space and healthy workers, there was a general cultural desire to live a better life. Foucault labelled this as bio-politics.

Link to original image embedded

Public Disinfectors in London, 1877. The two men in white clothes are hauling a carriage of disinfectant to hose down plague and disease infected areas.

Finally, to evoke compassion and understanding toward the poor conditions of cities in previous centuries, I provide you with the image of a dying man on the street, with nothing more than a passer-by to comfort him.

A custom of Central Asia, a passer-by tends to the sick in urban area, between 1865-1872.

A custom of Central Asia, a passer-by tends to the sick in urban area, between 1865-1872.

All of this is evidence as to how something as small as bacteria can have such big impacts on  world cities.