1. Among other things, Irvine Valley College’s nearly completed Performing Arts Center (PAC) is an enigma. Many of us routinely step back from it and ask, — “These shapes. These colors. What do they mean?”
No one expects an answer. One ponders, is all.
This is what distinguishes us from the animals. No animal would waste time like that.
2. Some say that the odd Red Patch of the PAC, as seen from the west (Jeffrey Boulevard), is an homage to the state of Texas. Well, I’ve looked into that, and I don’t think so. (See.)
3. After teaching my class today, I wandered to the back of the PAC. The sky was very blue. The sun was intense. The shapes and colors of the PAC seemed not only to glow but to radiate heat.
I was enjoying myself in silence, allowing my mind once again to idle pleasantly upon the PACitudinal apparition.
I noticed some kind of construction worker, who was doing something near his truck. He was near enough to talk to. So, after a while, I said, in a loud voice,—“Well, what do you think of it?”
Somehow, he knew what I meant. He briefly paused and looked over his shoulder. He said, “It’s a fucked up mess.”
I smiled at him. After a while, he added, “If you ask me.”
4. My friends in Fine Arts acknowledge that the PAC is odd. From the outside. On the inside, they say, it is "pretty fucking wonderful."
17 comments:
Yes, all that, plus the building is a study in shades of gray, not in a good way.
I heard it was painted RED on thw inside too - that they got some sort of DEAL of the red paint - true?
I heard that they bought pieces of other buildings and had them installed late at night when no one was looking....
Th news this morning is that the redesign of A300 will make it look like the PAC--this from one of the engineers. Can this be true, Chunk?
Call me nutty, but I think the building is pretty great. The style is interesting and bold, and provokes discussion, sort of what you'd hope for with a performing arts location.
It's certainly bold.
Bold? If the PAC were a person, he'd be a bully.
Well, it certainly adds something to the famous Irvine skyline.
Stop complaining.
Be happy you HAVE a building.
12:20--
I'm not complaining about the PAC. On the contrary, it is a source of endless enjoyment, in part because we discuss it, assess it, marvel at it --yes, sometimes complain about it, and so on.
IVC is a college, after all. If you can't discuss the merits and demerits of a grand new building at a college, then where can you?
12:20--start appreciating the existence of critical discourse! Things are as they should be!
Nice analogy, 11:02, but rather hyperbolic.
LOL, excellent Texas observation! Or is it a scantron machine?
I heard it was architected by a 4 year old with a handy little box of crayons. Management thought it'd be cheaper to buy the drawings from this kid (for a nickel) then to pay for, "some professional mumbojumbo."
Yes, if you don't understand something, then go ahead and ridicule it. All that 2:43 said has been said about probably every important artist at some time or another.
2:59: your logic doesn't work. Many important artists have been scoffed at. The group of scoffed-at artists includes many more unimportant artists than important artists. Hence, an artist who has been scoffed at is much more likely to be an unimportant artist than an important artist.
So, being scoffed at is no proof of artistic importance.
12:38, I love 'ya, whoever you are. ("Start appreciating the existence of critical discourse! Things are as they should be.") Thank you for that fabulous admonition, strangely required at times even here on the blog.
We're not talking about proof of artistic importance, JKC, just that a little scoff, while amusing, does not comprise a relevant criticism.
That is all.
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