Frank and Sam, round II

Those enjoying the Frank Gehry-Sam Hall Kaplan spat over Disney Hall may want to hear Kaplan's "City Observed" commentary tomorrow (Wednesday) on KCRW. In the advance transcript, Kaplan reviews the exhibit of Gehry's work now at MOCA:

What is revealed in the artless squiggles and the varying study models is an almost obsessive focus on form rather than function, a preoccupation of Gehry inherent in what he has labeled his intuitive approach to design.

Missing is any appreciative consideration of context, climate, cost and, most unfortunately, the user, those who will ultimately experience the structures. Function appears to be at best an afterthought.

He goes on to label some Gehry work as "plop architecture," and says of some of the Santa Monica architect's most celebrated designs:

Whatever, I suspect that in the far future these ego encrusted icons will be looked upon as anomalies, representing a time in history when a self indulgent society worshiped celebrities and showcase buildings, to the detriment of humanism and livable places.

The Guggenheim, Disney Hall and their derivatives can be, and should be, enjoyed as spectacles. There is no denying their sculptural power.

But to call the designs the cutting edge of architecture is to misread the true purpose of the profession as a social art in the public realm, and to distort it as surely as Gehry's computer aided conceits corrupt the siting and purpose of his projects.

Me-ow! Kaplan's commentaries run at 6:55 p.m. every Wednesday on KCRW (89.9 and online). The transcripts are published here after airing.