It’s hard to believe, but a large part of modern-day culture can be reduced to this antithesis. Or this one:

On the one hand: Material. We think of objectivity, tangibility, experiential, a certain resistance. But also unwieldiness, immobility, dullness.

On the other hand: Immaterial. Beautiful associations: transparent, nimble, spherical. Or rather: hot air, emptiness, obscurity.

Again, these mutual contrasts form the foundation for a large part of our modern-day culture and the associated debates about it. Particularly with regard to creation, art and design, environment and architecture, proponents and opponents of concept and matter jockey for prominence.

The projects in the #6 2004 issue of Archis are all concerned with the area of tension between these poles. In addition, they are connected together in an analytical context. The projects can be localised on an imaginary plane, with the two axes: material-immaterial and conceptual-conceptless. When reflecting on the modern-day practice of design, it is striking how much these pairs of terms are associated. Let’s call this an attempt to forge a more comprehensive understanding.

But could something else be possible besides understanding? In today’s world isn’t value the most important aspect? Ascribing value. What is the sense of looking at a plane to come to the conclusion that ‘positions’ are occupied all over the place, which often senselessly reproach the others for not being in the same position? What use is it to dispute these positions if every one of them, without exception, can be justified in terms of approach? This leads to culture as occupational therapy.

Ultimately, then, we are not concerned with the positions themselves. The focus is on the quality of these positions. This cannot be established by analysing a work in comparison to other work, but in comparison to itself. That is what we could call quality, to use a classic term. Quality is a category that is not satisfied with the excuse of being different to the others. Quality proves itself primarily by establishing that something is better than it need have been. Added value of itself, in itself and from itself. Between the extremes of thought (emptiness and riches) and the extremes of physical reality (emptiness and density), the important aspect is not the coordinates of a position, but the quality of that position. A description of position is not sufficient. What you need is the ability to judge.

Ability to judge. Faculty of judgement. Rare words these days. Something more than opinions is involved, we have enough of them. They are associated with knowledge, time, commitment. The matrix is no longer enough for these properties. We shall have to get closer to the designs themselves.

An issue of Archis on the intersection between understanding and appreciation…

The #6 2004 issue was produced in collaboration with Premsela, Stichting voor Nederlandse Vormgeving (Dutch Design Foundation). Premsela organises activities to stimulate reflection on assumptions, presuppositions and possible biases in the design process.