“After 1980, you never heard reference to space again. Surface, the most convincing evidence of the descent into materialism, became the focus of design. Space disappeared.”
Design
“What is the thread of western civilization that distinguished its course in history? It has to do with the preoccupation of western man with his outward command and his sense of superiority.”
HistoryAll Quotes by Arthur Erickson
“Space has always been the spiritual dimension of architecture. It is not the physical statement of the structure so much as what it contains that moves us.”
Architecture“I plead for conservation of human culture, which is much more fragile than nature herself. We needn't destroy other cultures with the force of our own.”
Nature“No phenomenon can be isolated, but has repercussions through every aspect of our lives. We are learning that we are a fundamental part of nature's ecosystems.”
Learning“This great, though disastrous, culture can only change as we begin to stand off and see... the inveterate materialism which has become the model for cultures around the world.”
Change“The great dream merchant Disney was a success because make-believe was what everyone seemed to need in a spiritually empty land.”
Success“What is the thread of western civilization that distinguished its course in history? It has to do with the preoccupation of western man with his outward command and his sense of superiority.”
History“There is little doubt that we are in the midst of a revolution of a much more profound and fundamental nature than the social and political revolutions of the last half century.”
Nature“With production alone as the goal, industry in North America was dominated by the assembly line, standardization for mass consumption.”
Alone“Rationalism is the enemy of art, though necessary as a basis for architecture.”
Architecture“The details are the very source of expression in architecture. But we are caught in a vice between art and the bottom line.”
Architecture“The way of architecture is the quiet voice that underlies it and has guided it from the beginning.”
Architecture“You have to see a building to comprehend it. Photographs cannot convey the experience, nor film.”
Experience“Architecture doesn't come from theory. You don't think your way through a building.”
Architecture“Only when inspired to go beyond consciousness by some extraordinary insight does beauty manifest unexpectedly.”
Beauty“We have today a fairly thorough knowledge of the early Greco-Roman period because our motivations are the same.”
Knowledge“Western history has been a history of deed done, actions performed and results achieved.”
History“Does an architecture to assuage the spirit have a place?”
Architecture“Modernism released us from the constraints of everything that had gone before with a euphoric sense of freedom.”
Freedom“We are stymied by regulations, limited choice and the threat of litigation. Neither consultants nor industry itself provide research which takes architecture forward.”
Architecture