I woke up this morning thinking about how Japanese architecture perfectly reflects its culture. Why the hell I was thinking about this I have no idea, but these were my first thoughts this morning. Especially about outward facing yards such as we have in the US and inward facing spaces like in Japan. Also about modularity and modular spaces vs. fixed-function spaces. Its so perfect! I iwant to learn more about architecture now. Its SO integral to culture as to make it almost invisible, but when viewd even briefly by a slob like me, it reveals semiotic volumes.

I think I was thinking about this because I've been reading a lot about modernism and modernist design, which I used to be a total proponent and devotee of. But now I'm starting to change my mind. Maybe modernism IS just a style, like any other. It's both depressing and energizing. I mean, on one hand it means all these lofty ideals I've always really had about design and its function as goodwill may be just bullshit, but on the other it gives me permission to design however the hell I want, with no formal restrictions. But still there MUST be some structure... Strange that I'm wrestling now with these ideas which I think most everybody moved on from in the sixties or seventies, but post-modernism was never really my thing. Hm. ANYway. Welcome to my brain.

Sometimes the obvious really strikes me as profound and vice versa.