Arts & citizenship: Do cities have a soul? Does Brussels have a soul?

Thom Mayne, north-american architect who won the Pritzker architecture Prize in 2005, asks himself the question in an interview displayed at the "Morphosis" exhibition, @ the Pompidou Centre in Paris.

The exhibition is a 250 sqm showcase, a horizontal screen on which one walks, revealing at our feet a view of 16 recent projects (lay-outs, drawings, photographs, etc.) from the Morphosis agency, currently involved in the construction of numerous buildings, to convey the idea of architecture "in the act". Morphosis is an architecture agency based in Los Angeles (actually Santa Monica) founded by Thom Mayne in 1972 (4 years only after graduating in 1968). The display was designed by the agency and takes us back to contemporary myths of L.A. as illustrated by its cinematographic and photographic images. It includes some interviews and documentaries about Thom Mayne and his work.

Moving away from traditional architecture, urbanism and town planning seen as independent disciplines, Morphosis focuses on a cross-cutting multi-disciplinary approach of relationships between the individual, space, territory and the institutional setting. "The designers reaffirm the capacity of architecture to invent its own controls and organizational models following examples provided by biology and computing".

Morphosis started a new phase around 1993, with the book "Connected Isolation" which laid down the basis of Thom Mayne's theoretical language. Even though the agency remained modest in size (around 40 collaborators) some big projects have been developped, including urban interventions, works for the american public administration, etc, as is the case of the Sun Tower in Seoul (1994-1997) and the Diamond Ranch College at Pomona (California, 1999) which marked international recognition for Mayne's work. Nowadays awards and contracts keep growing for ever bigger and more important works such as the Federal Building in San Francisco, the Court of Justice building in Eugene (Oregon), the Caltrans District 7 building in L.A. the Hypo Bank Alpe-Adria in Austria or the social housing complex in Carabanchel, Madrid. Morphosis understands its arena of operation to be one marked by contradiction, conflict, change, and dynamism.

Thom Mayne's and Morphosis' work have certainly contributed to re-shape urbanism and architecture in L.A. and beyond. With their creativity and approach they have contributed (together with other architects) to the recent mutation and dynamism in the californian metropolis. They do not see architecture as the creation of isolated works of art but rather as solutions for human problems in a fast changing world. As Mayne puts it "architecture should help to live in society", and therefore contribute to intensifying social contacts. Mayne has devoted part of his work to the creation of public spaces which can contribute to make a city like L. A. more "human" and attractive. However as he says, the creation of public spaces alone does not mean that people will start to interact more easily. As Mayne puts it, the geography of human relations is complex and modern cities do not work anymore as the previous "villages" in Europe. People do not relate necessarily to their immediate neighbours but live in multi-layered webs of relationships in the global village. Modern cities should adapt to the new models. It is all part of a process whose dynamics are difficult to master and foresee. Mayne seems in any way very aware about the challenges of modern societies and of the difficulties for the future (energetic, social disparities, economic, etc) claiming that architecture and urbanism will have to adapt and reflect the changing world, bringing new solutions and alternatives.

I consider that the creation of public spaces is an interesting and important issue and makes me go back to the initial question "do cities have a soul" ? This is not an easy question to answer, which city do we want to live in? Which is the best model? The answers are differentiated according to the context and diversity is essencial. But it is true that urbanisation has increased throughout the world and people live more and more in and around large urban centers, which have become more and more attractive. Yet, at the same time, sometimes more difficult to live in. Whether we pursue the model of a big city with a multitude of smaller-village communities or the L.A. model or something in between, public spaces can play an important role and can also contribute to increase the attractiveness of a city for living, for doing business or simply to visit. Some cities have been able to create such spaces - Paris with the Pompidou and The Halles area, the Louvre area, the La Vilette complex (among others), London with the new Tate gallery or Covent Garden, Madrid around the Reina Sofia Center, Barcelona with the Port Olimpic or the Maremagnum area, Berlin with the Sony Center and the area around Brandenburg, Lisbon with the Belem Cultural center, Copenhagen with the Black Diamond library, Amsterdam with the Museum area, or other urban cultural equipment works (the Guggenheim in Bilbao) and many others, not only in Europe but also in the US. These experiences are not all equal, some are more cultural, others more commercial, some may have been more successful than others yet they all share similar objectives. They can and have contributed to improve urban life quality and thus can play a central role in metropolitan areas.

However, Brussels, city pretending to be the capital of Europe, has seen no public (nor public-private) investments in this area in the last 25 or more years. Where is in Brussels any public space where cultural and social activities take space? Which brings people together? A place where exhibitions, performances, shows, can take place, where people can meet and interact? The Palais des Beaux Arts? Too small. The Botanique? Too small. The music city around Tours & taxis? how long before anything will develop there? It simply DOES NOT exist. And Brussels could well create such a public space (there is NO place in this city where a large exhibition can take place), a place dedicated to Europe's cultures, arts and languages. A place which could display european artists (and others!), to come present their work, their art. A place to celebrate culture and diversity. Brussels owes this well to the europeans. And Brussels disposes of excellent architecture and urban possibilities which can be developped. After benefiting economically hugely from the presence of European institutions (and all business around it) it is about time the city gives its inhabitants and Europeans something back. To improve quality of life in the city, as well as its image. What about a plan to improve the public areas around the european institutions, for instance? Yet where is also the initiative from European institutions? NONE! But please, do not follow the usual slow belgian pace (not like the Music Instrument museum which took nearly 10 years to see the light), and spare us the complicated intercomunity struggles. I mean now! I do not mean pharaonic huge projects, does not need to be that, but human scale projects. This city needs projects, ideas, a new soul, not denying its present "soul" if any, but enlarging it, enriching it. And making it more human. More universal.