// 6/4 Reading Response.//

“I Love IIT, But I Still Don’t Like Rem”

By far, my favorite tone of writing that we’ve encountered with our readings this week. His cynically uninterested disposition to the world around him is particularly interesting. I found Nobel’s refusal to give Rem any praise at all, even when he’s praising his IIT building, to be hilarious. Here he is, this (to my knowledge at least) unknown writer, harshly critiquing one the most prominent Starchitects our generation has seen with this “I told you so!” attitude. Aside from his obvious resentment toward Rem, his description of the IIT was pretty fascinating…I’d like to visit it now. So maybe Nobel’s review failed. If his bashing of Rem and his work was supposed to keep the reader’s interest away from IIT, he didn’t succeed. I’ll probably be there in the next few years.

Drive Review

Drive is a movie with an inherent struggle between two very different states. This struggle is manifested perfectly in Gosling’s character, and described perfectly in the review. He’s always going back and forth between the quiet, “Mona Lisa” man and the ruthless barbarian killing machine that he unleashes only when necessary. My favorite part of the movie was the soundtrack, which transported me to another realm…another state of mind-this timeless, floaty universe of total safety and complete destruction. I guess that’s the theme connecting this week’s readings. The same idea is shown in “Melancholia” (two worlds colliding) and in the critique of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art (the constant battle for prominence between art & architecture, and the relentless juxtaposition of “Lightfall” and those inside the space interacting with it).

Weeknd Album Review

My first exposure to the singer was outside of the restaurant I work at in Times Square. I was outside on a cigarette break and borrowed his lighter as he proceeded to tell me he had just finished recording some vocals for Drake’s coming album “Take Care” (there are music studios above our restaurant). Pretty cool dude, but not really into the tunes…if I’m sober. I agree with the review in terms of style and lyrical content. But for me, these aren’t sounds I can listen to while I’m on the train or doing homework. These sounds need my full, undivided (and amplified) attention. Laying down in a dark room with eyes closed as the Weeknd’s frequencies burst out of my KRK monitors is literally the only way for me for appreciate it.