Satirical Regionalism John Eraña April 1, 2008

An architecture of satire can resist the negative social impacts of globalization. The

program will include a hybrid between a shopping mall and garment manufacturing

facility on one of Manila’s most populated and heavily trafficked areas. In order for

Manila’s culture to resist the negative social impacts of globalization, it must be critically

aware of its own existence. Historic and civic building once contributed to strengthen a

culture, but such attempts at social change have lost their potency. The element of

satire can provide a stronger potency and thus the motivation for the core of thesis

project: an architecture of satire can resist the negative social impacts of globalization.

The mode of production will begin by decoding site conditions through time-lapsed

photography and this will satirically juxtapose opposing theoretical ideas to unveil stark

truth. Built sculptural models will convey these outcomes to create the form of the

building. To study the hybrid interior program, models and drawings will be made to

study satirical components such as duality, contrast, crudeness, and simplicity. A built

form will result which would coerce manileños to re-think their cultural direction.

2

Thesis Premise: Architectural Satire against Globalization

The growth of many cultures in developing countries is suppressed by the negative

social impacts of globalization. As these developing countries race towards the

influence of modernization, people particularly their major cities, accept western

commodities and embrace the western values attached to them. In consequence,

western values replace corresponding values that were already in place as building

blocks of a culture. Thus, cultural detachment takes places.

Kenneth Frampton states that a culture requires a “critical self-consciousness” to resist

the negative social impacts of globalization. This notion claims that a culture must not

only be aware of the negative social influences which penetrate its boundary, but it must

also be aware of the culture’s inherent composition. This “critical self-consciousness”

unfolds an architecture which is completely derived from the means of its own culture

and region.

The architecture of developing countries which promote this “critical self-consciousness”

is undeniably present in its cities, but its potency to play a role in social change has

been long ago diluted. If we want to grab hold of an inattentive contemporary society,

we requires a strong contrast to people’s repeating day-to-day cycles- this can be done

through satire, a literary often utilized to express the condition of a society. Because

architecture is representational, satire can be conveyed through it. Thus one can

engage in a spatial experience of contrast, sarcasm and ridicule, in which a clear image

of a people’s cultural downfall under globalization can be unveiled and ultimately

persuade individuals into a self-questioning.

3

Primary Area of Study: Social Change through Satire

The core of the study will focus on an architecture of satire to resist the negative social

impacts of globalization. Kenneth Frampton’s essay Towards a Critical Regionalism:

Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance and Paul Ricoeur’s History and Truth will be

crucial references as they provide a basis for the infiltrating influx of global

universalization on cultures in developing countries. Their arguments resonate with the

cultural turmoil in Manila and they provide a platform for possible resolutions.

Within these core modules, further detailed studies will expose evidence of the negative

social impact of globalization on the Philippines and other post-colonial societies. Mark

Twain (1901), in To the Person Sitting in the Darkness, accounts the Philippines’

cultural turmoil under Americanization in the early 20th Century with the use of satire.

Similar accounts have been made by Celeste Olalquiaga (1992), in Megalopolis:

Contemporary Cultural Sensibilities, where she extracts satire in the relationship

between western influence and post-colonial Latin Americas culture. This subject has

been also been depicted in satirical visual art as shown in Antipas Delotavo’s Itak sa

Puso Ni Mang Juan (Dagger at the heart of Mang Juan; See figure 1).

The study of an appropriate type of satire will be a crucial element to this thesis (Griffin,

1994). The site and program must be succinct with the current direction of Manila’s

culture and must coalesce to create a physical form which manifests a satirical illusion

of an accelerated version of Manila’s society. As this illusion suggests bitterness,

manileños are persuaded to re-think their routinely way of life.

4

Program: Between Mall and Garment Manufacturing Facility

Shopping malls have increasingly become the most gravitating areas of human

congregation in developing countries in pursuit of modernization- they are safe, air-

conditioned, and their activities reach far more than the typical North American

shopping mall. The shopping mall is an appropriate program for this thesis as it conveys

a dynamic interface between globalization and Manila’s society and it also foster an

attempt to answer the question can a Philippine shopping mall exist without the

consequences of globalization? (Resonating Frampton’s “critical self-consciousness”)

In the spirit of satire, a garment manufacturing facility will stand across the store units.

Its identity however will not be present- its presence will be conveyed through a

mysterious and evocative aura which the entire mall will use as its own. The store units

in contrast with this aura will thus provide the potency necessary in the architectural

satire.

A third layer will reflect the cultural significance of the site. Atriums and open corridors

will adhere to a museum layout, displaying statues and remnants of the EDSA

revolutions which took place in the area. This centering layer will achieve an anchored

reference between globalization (retail stores) and the effects of globalization (garment

manufacturing facility).

There is a causal relationship with the 3 layers in that a cultural experience, although

perhaps appalling, perpetuates the numbers of entering shoppers (Pooler, 2003).

Meanwhile, an image of the modern culture of the Philippines will be understood.

5

Site: Driving by Satire

In order to reach a vast Manila audience, it is crucial that the site is located on a heavily

populated and diverse area of the city. The intersection in front of the EDSA shrine is

thus an ideal site for this thesis as it is the crossing point of the city’s most heavily

trafficked roads and highways. More over, its dense surrounding includes major

shopping malls, government buildings, and some of the cities tallest condos. The urban

energy on this site thus caters to an effective stage where a satirical physical form can

interact with the city (See Figure 2).

On a cultural dimension, the site also uncovers varying layers of historic events and

social conflict. The site is also the location of Edsa Revolution II & III, two events in

Philippine modern history when millions gathered to overthrow the government regime.

A large statue of Mother Mary marks the site and behind this religious icon are two

shopping malls. The subliminal conflict of church, globalization, and stage on the site

implies a conclusion to which a new architectural intervention can fulfill (See Figure 3).

Mode of Production: Satirical Sculptures

A collage through time-lapsed photography will be used to decode the EDSA shrine

site. As there are many points of access to the site from diverse groups, photographs

will isolate each path and unveil its distinctions. Once this is accomplished, photos will

depict opposing theoretical ideas, such as decay and progress for example. Articulately

putting these ideas side by side through collage will provide a stark satirical

6

commentary. Consequently, mundane aspects of everyday life may, at the very least,

be reinterpreted as crucial depictions of social problems.

These collages may also express worthwhile themes which can launch the creation of

model sculptures- this inform the form of the building as it appears from the outside. As

the architectural intervention must speak clearly to the city, it must have a physical form

consistent with its meaning. The creation of the building’s conceptual mass will be

motivated with the questions such as if the meaning of satire were to manifest itself as a

physical object, what would it look like as related to the social condition at hand? A

series of sculptures will be made.

The study of the interior of the building will follow the same method. Models and

drawings will be made to study the cores of satire: duality, contrast, crudeness, and

simplicity (See figure 4). Furthermore, the creation of such mediums will be motivated

by the question how can the aura of a garment manufacturing facility be conveyed

within a shopping mall?

7

Conclusion: Mirror of Self-analysis

My postulate states that the negative impacts of globalization can be resisted

through an architecture of satire. In order for Manila culture to resist globalization, it

must adhere to a “critical self-consciousness” of its own culture. Historic and civic

building once contributed to advocate this notion, but such attempts at social change

have lost their potency. Satire in form of architecture is a more potent agent to reunify a

disuniting culture. It creates a bitter irony of the Manila society in such a way that it

illustrates a tragedy and ultimately coerces manileños to re-evaluate their routinely way

of life. Satire as a theme must then resonate through the program, site, and mode of

production. The program which includes a shopping mall and garment manufacturing

facility will serve as a satirical tool to allow an audience to reevaluate a hidden truth

about their condition. As the required conflict may appear gruesome, the most difficult

design challenge to motivate the thesis entails a viable retail scenario and the

avoidance of exploiting garment manufacturing workers. The site chosen is able to

express satire in an urban scale. Fronting the most heavily trafficked road intersection

in the city, it is able to speak to the vast Manila populace. Moreover, its conflicting

political, historic, and economic layers require a conclusion which is absent on the site.

The mode of production will be able to coalesce both site and program into sculptures,

models, and drawings. Such mediums will reflects the projects themes and ultimately

result in a physical form which will allow manileños to adhere to a “critical self-

consciousness”.

8

Committee and Resources:

Thesis advisor: Professor David Theodore.

Professor David Theodore’s expertise in contemporary architecture would be beneficial

to the thesis as it demands a strong grasp of culture, globalization, and the complexities

of modern society.

As the subject of this thesis is based in on a Philippine site, it is crucial I am able to

obtain resources when I visit Manila during the summer. In order to understand the

contemporary problems of Manila, I will conduct interviews with professors from the

architecture schools in the city. In addition, I will obtain plan drawings and technical

information from the urban department in the city of Manila.

9

List of Primary Sources:

Frampton, Kenneth. “Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance” in Hal Foster ed., The Anti-Aesthetic. Seattle: Bay Press, 1983.

Frampton explains that in order to resist the penetration of the negative social

impacts of globalization within a cultural domain, a culture must undergo “a high

level of critical self-consciousness”. This framework is crucial to the thesis as it

suggests a forum of possible solutions to the cultural predicament which Manila

faces. It brings light to the historic and civic buildings in Manila by unveiling their

weak potency to play a role in cultural identity in the contemporary society.

Ricoeur, Paul. History and Truth. Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1965.

Paul Ricoeur claims universalization is an “advancement of mankind,” however it

slowly destroys the “creative nucleus of all cultures”. He provides an account of

developed countries under globalization and puts forth a predicament which

gives a rise to the motivation of the thesis: how can a developed country be

modernized, but still be able to participate in the benefits of globalization?

Delotavo, Antipas. “Itak sa Puso ni Mang Juan (Dagger at the Heart of mang Juan).”

Watercolor on paper, 1976. As reproduced in Angel Velasco and Luis Francia, Vestiges of War: The Philippine-American War and the Aftermath of an Imperial Dream 1899-1999, pg. 76. NY: New York University Press, 2002.

This painting frames an image of the negative social impacts of globalization

towards a Filipino. It resonates the core principles of satire: simplicity and duality

is shown by the use of only two elements, contrast is shown by the use of color

and the opposing subjects, and crudeness is shown by simple overlay of one

subject over another. Nonetheless, the painting ultimately implies truth. As the

painting contains these elements, it acts as a narrative to center the focus

towards understanding satire.

10

Twain, Mark. 1901. To The Person Sitting In Darkness. In Vestiges of War: The Philippine-American War and the Aftermath of an Imperial Dream 1899-1999, 2002, ed. Angel Velasco and Luis Francia, 57-67. New York: New York University Press.

In this essay, Mark Twain accounts the Americanization of the Philippines in the

early 20th Century. He claims that Filipinos blindly accepted the hand of America,

believing it were for meritful and innocent. He uses satire strongly as a way of

persuasion as he speaks to his American audience: “we must arrange his

opinions for him (the Filipino)… We must bring him to, and coax him and coddle

him, and assure him that the way to Providence are best, and that it would not

become us to find fault with them.” Satire is strong in the end when Twain

imitates a message to Filipinos: Your country is in ruins, however, it is okay

because it is in the name of progress and civilization. This text is thus helpful in

narrating a method in which satire can be used in the thesis project.

11

List of Secondary Sources:

Bills, Mark. The Art of Satire: London in Caricature. London: Philip Wilson Publishers,

2006. Delmendo, Sharon. The Star Entangled Banner: One Hundred Years of America in the

Philippines. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2004. Fanon, Frantz. 1963. The Wretched of the Earth. New York: Grove Press. Griffin, Dustin. 1994. Satire: A Critical Reintroduction. Kentucky: University Press of

Kentucky. Hines, Thomas. 1973. American Modernism in the Philippines: The Forgotten

Architecture of William E. Parsons. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 32: 316-326.

Kluckhohn, Clyde and Kroeber, A.L. 1952. Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions. New York: Vintage Books.

Marx, Karl and Engels, Friedrich. The Communist Manifesto. 1968. New York: Modern Reader.

Olalquiaga, Celeste. Magalopolis: Contemporary Cultural Sensibilities. Minnesota: Pooler, Jim. Why We Shop: Emotional Rewards and Retail Strategies. Connecticut:

Praeger, 2003. Rafael, Vicente. White Love: and Other Events in Filipino History. Michigan: Duke

University Press, 2000. University of Minnesota Press, 1992. Villalón, Augusto F. Lugar: Essays on Philippine Heritage and Architecture. Makati,

Philippines: The Bookmark Inc, 2001.

12

Appendix: Figures

Figure 1. Itak Sa Puso Ni Mang Juan (Dagger at the heart of Mang Juan) by Antipas Delotavo. Watercolor on paper. 38.1 x 55.88 cm, 1976.

Figure 2: Edsa intersection, Manila (Google Earth image)

13

Figure 3: Edsa II Revolution, 2001 (On-line image found in http://members.aol.com/ ernestojlaput/edsa2.jpg)

Figure 4: Drawing- the Form of Satire (by author, February 2008)