By J. Randolph Swope
The ancients believed beauty resulted from balance, subtlety and proportion. Examples of this are the Parthenon and Pantheon. Later Europeans continued this tradition with the Gothic architecture and neoclassicism that still cover Europe. Fast forward hundreds of years over subsequent architectural movements, and one witnesses a radical change, a celebration of functionality. Finally, enter postmodernist architecture, a subversion of the high for the low. The impetus for this revolution in style (the subversion of the high for the low) can be traced back to a religious distrust of man-made beauty in Middle Eastern mysticism (inter alias causas), which has a long tradition of antagonism toward occidental high-brow standards (as noted Nietzsche). Nowhere is this war against beauty more manifest than the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, a 285,000 square-foot monstrosity currently being erected in downtown Kansas City. And to add insult to injury, instead of contracting local firms (Kansas City is known for its engineering and architectural firms), an Israeli firm (Safdie Architects) heads the design team.
Any chance we could start a petition to demolish this eyesore? We already have sufficient (and aesthetically pleasing) concert halls to host events.
