Frank and I

Frank Gehry’s works exceed the perspectives of any art form that it makes you believe that dreams can be woven with steel or concrete, or even titanium! However, not everyone will believe the same, or read Gehry as the kind of architect to be admired and worshipped. Some people think that his buildings are purely about spectacle than function, and that they are nothing more than just monumental sculptures. On the contrary, I am one of those millions, who have been genuised to death by the impeccable Guggenheim Museum.

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao

Guggenheim rejuvenates the glory of Bilbao in Spain with its magical folds of titanium tiles reflecting the ripples of Nervion River and a prodigy such as this revolutionizes the face of architecture.

Sometimes I sit down without my phone or laptop and close my eyes- to think. It troubles me for some time to delve into this world without endless memes and message pop-ups but I try. I try to remind myself that I am a fourth-year college student and one of my wildest dreams includes building a Guggenheim Museum right in the middle of Thimphu, against all the traditional norms of Bhutanese architecture or Bhutanese sensitivity. Then I come back to my senses and tell myself why this dream is not just wild but also wrong. 

But I also wonder about the kind of architect I’d become someday if my senses keep telling me that my dreams are wrong. Likewise, I often struggle between the state of being this completely dreamy person and the state where I follow rules none of which, is constant. 

Most people associate architects/architecture students with arrogance, self-righteousness, or ego, and I honestly take stands from both the sides. While it may seem like arrogance, architects are built to defend our ideas, not just against the world but against the very nature of the idea itself. 

When the press raised public critics to Frank Gehry’s art museum in Paris in 2014, he responded with a finger followed by a rage of complete disgust for today’s buildings. He said that there is no sense of design and respect for humanity in these heavy concrete buildings. I believe Gehry, I adore him as much as I know that he could’ve taken the critics without the rant. I was taught in my first year to love criticism and to embrace them because they generate better ideas and better designs with a strong foundation. And I was also taught that Frank Gehry is a great architect. 

I read a book about Frank Gehry written by Paul Goldberger a few months ago, and it positioned me to figure out whether I’d be driven by the community norms and public opinions or whether I’d completely break free. It’s terrifying at times to think about the giant obstruction that the world offers against the kind of person we are or are to become. And I cannot be more thankful for the precious eighteen months I have from now, to learn before I have to make a choice.