G. Houses for
In each case, these houses have an intended client. Each client has extensive responsibilities for an aspect of the world.
41 A House for the Viceroy of Thinking
The Viceroy’s house at once allows for, and erodes, all tendencies of thinking to become solidified into discrete silos. Belief systems, scientific fields, political parties, sub-branches of each of these, discipline areas, the echo chambers of the internet, and various human groups tend toward exclusionary ways of giving accounts of the world as they claim it to exist, drawing on the precedents of their stories, their history. From these accounts, descriptions of ‘problems’ or ‘issues’, are formed and prescriptions for ways of operating to make things better can thus be devised. Where there are overlaps of concern the exclusionary and often metaphoric languages rampant in each silo preclude awareness of similarities with neighbours; the neighbours use different metaphors – in effect, they speak different languages when discussing their worlds.
The Viceroy’s house takes the metaphor of silos literally although they appear more visually akin to the many former towers of historical Bologna or San Gimignano packed closely together. Sharing is compelled (as is the case in educational institutions) since there are too few knowledge towers to provide for all. Links (be they physical or electronic), burrows, and parasitic arrangements may erode the autonomy of the silos and some of these can be seen. In the end, disciplinary borders are never maintained, nor are distinctions between areas of thinking that regard themselves as separate – even unique.
The Viceroy, replete with entourage occupies the corner two connected towers, keeping watch, cajoling, nudging, mildly manipulating, both leading and herding this kingdom, while cognisant of the improbability of the task. These towers are reached by the entrance ramp through the ancient gateway redolent with overtones of castles past, for knowledge has always been guarded by gatekeepers. Above the Viceroy’s buildings, a sail shelters the knowledge towers from the vagaries of non-knowledge and nonsense galloping across the world; it does not stunt the growing towers, and its perforations let the heated gasses rising from the fevered thinking below rise safely through it.
The remainders of two packs of pen blanks once bought at a wood-working show contained timbers labelled as: Camphor Laurel, White Oak, Liquid Amber, Olive, Walnut, Ornamental Cherry, Grey Box, Aspen, Huon Pine (x2), Merbau, Elm (x2), Spotted Gum, and Osage Orange, form the towers. In addition, there is a piece of laminated Tasmanian Blackwood (used in prior models), one other unidentified timber, and the gate house and ramp are from unknown timbers found on my shelves. Various objects from my collection have been manipulated into use including a copper dome I made as an exercise in a brief jewellery class taken many years ago.
Base: 145mm x 109mm. Model: 162mm x 146mm. Height: 219mm.
Initiated: 24 January 2023. Constructed: 28 July 2023 – 14 September 2024.