Dana Buntrock – “Materials and Meaning in Contemporary Japanese Culture”

Dana Buntrock from UC Berkeley stopped by the White Stag building today and gave a lecture about the two “types” of contemporary Japanese architecture and their characteristics, both literal and cultural. She broke down the two groups (more like arranged them on a scale) between the Red School and the White School. Simply, the Red School is rough, heavily influences by the vernacular, exalts in physical and sensual experience and embraces nature, imperfection and decay. The White School is intellectual, flat, modern, tech savvy and transparent. Not designed to age, but designed instead to be of an age. She reviewed a few projects from a “bright Red” Fujimori and a “Pink” Kuma. I found the lecture and her analysis of Japanese architectural schools very interesting. I found myself dislike the pure White forms and liking the Red forms more and more as she explained the designers reasons for form. Perhaps lessons from this lecture could allow me to think more about representation and form as we move towards mid-term.