When friends enter our new apartment, I have to reassure them that they are not dizzy, the floor is definitely sloping — as it happens often in century old houses of the Plateau neighborhood in Montreal. But then I read this nytimes story about the house that architects and poets Arakawa and Madeline Gins just built in East Hampton.
The house (is) officially called Bioscleave House (Lifespan Extending Villa). Its architecture makes people use their bodies in unexpected ways to maintain equilibrium, and that, she said, will stimulate their immune systems.
Like the undulating floor, Arakawa and Gins, as they are known professionally, tend to throw people off balance. In 45 years of working together as artists, poets and architects, they have developed an arcane philosophy of life and art, a theory they call reversible destiny. Essentially, they have made it their mission — in treatises, paintings, books and now built projects like this one — to outlaw aging and its consequences.
“It’s immoral that people have to die,” Ms. Gins explained.
I love these people!
First, I can’t recommend enough to view the audio-slide-show that can be found on the nytimes page linked above: there are wonderful pics of the house.
Also, I dug a little and found somewhere else a floor plan of the house. They also did a park in Japan called “Site of Reversable Destiny“…
I could link to everything: “Zone of the clearest confusion”? “Critical ressemblance house“? What? “If thrown off-balance when entering the house, call out your name or, if you prefer, someone else’s. Should an unexpected event occur, freeze in place for as long as you see fit. Then adopt a more suitable (for being more thought out) position for an additional twenty seconds or so.”
I am no more apologetic for my slanted floor: thanks to Arakawa and Gins, now people will visit us to live forever. 🙂
Story by Bruno for Vu d’ici.
If I could decide, I would like to reach the age of 600 years, as long as I am healthy and the nature on Earth is still as beautiful as it is today.
“It’s immoral that people have to die,” Ms. Gins explained.
Quelle stupéfiante contradiction!!!
Sans la mort, il n’y aurait pas de moralité. C’est la conscience de cette mort qui nous pousse à tisser des liens symboliques les uns envers les autres (qu’on apelle moralité).
La vie “débarassée” de la mortalité deviendrait Amoral. À quoi bon aimer son prochain, faire preuve de prudence, de retenue, tenter de faire une différence positive dans la vie des autres lorsque la vie ne s’achève jamais? L’urgence de bien faire vient justement du fait qu’on manque nécessairement de temps. L’expérience qu’on fait de la vie vient justement du fait qu’il y a un début et une fin, autrement il n’y aurait que des épisodes sans liens les uns aux autres.
Il est immoral de souhaiter mettre un terme à la mort. Tout cela ressemble étrangement à la révolte stérile de Sade.