The Aesthetics of Equity: Craig L. Wilkins

Not since Ian Borden's Skateboarding, Space and the City have I wanted to notate and dog ear pages like I have in Craig L. Wilkins The Aesthetics of Equity, a 200+ page romp through the tragic pitfalls and failures of current architecture practice in education and understanding exactly who the client or even the practitioner really is. I admit that the idea of racial disparity within the architectural profession is not a new argument but Wilkins manages to approach it in a much more logical manner than simply the marginalization of difference for difference sake and instead concentrates on the cultural shift in ideals that has admittedly hamstrung the profession, taken us from the field and the love of craft to becoming paper pushers behind desks in cubicles.

It is the ideals of the social contract, of wanting to do good that has brought so many students into the profession (the emulation of Michael Brady or Howard Roark cannot be enough of a reason) but it is the propagation of the profession as a profession that can only exist in social stratification that hinders our ability to make the changes or to accept the differing views that could allow real physical good to occur. Granted props are given to groups such as Architecture for Humanity, for attempting to bridge this chasm but it is the existence of those very groups that identify just how broken the system is. Wilkins argues that is the exclusion of minority/marginalized groups that has forced the architecture profession to become too self referential for its own good, relying on outdated information and standards to legally force the public acceptance. Art(architecture) in a vacuum does nothing to further the social good and who can the client be if not those affected by what is shaping the spaces?

Wilkins does a very fine job of championing his arguments with diagrams, copious notations and quotes as well as a relying on what are referred to as "remixes", recaps of the previous chapter written in "conventional" tone that is more plain spoken than the academic parsing of the previous pages. While much of the work centers on racial discrimination in architectural education and practice it isn't hard to see/understand the much of the current problem stems much deeper, necessitating what could be no less than a formal revolution of architectural thought, not from the form based perspective as much as a use/creation one.

The introduction of "hip hop architecture" in the book can be confusing to those not entirely open to understanding the impetus of the hip hop movement or to those who currently are only exposed to the misogynistic, racist, homophobic, shallow and boisterous nature of "gangsta rap", especially as Wilkins, in order to accentuate the need for understanding the intent behind the thought, refuses to simply explain what hip hop architecture looks like. For those requiring the visual interpretation to validate the idea, it doesn't exist simply because it cannot easily be categorized (and attempting to catalog the idea would devalue the exercise of its execution). While I do not claim to fully understand the many facets of Wilkins interpretation of hip hop architecture it could be argued that what Wilkins is referring to is simply architecture that is aware of the place and people in which it exists and interacts with. A simple notion that is all too often forgotten in broad stroke misapplication of misnamed solutions (Green, new urbanism, etc.) and fails to take the community (physically, mentally, historically) into context when developing (in concert) a physical intervention, usually in left over or fringe/forgotten.

For those teaching or working on public projects I recommend this read if only to further reinforce that new ideas can come from anywhere and valid opinions exist outside of the regulated schools of thought so it is our job to listen as much (if not more) than teach. For general practitioners of architecture interested in the philosophical means behind modern movements I would also offer this book as a primer on Lockean theory and a fine intro to Lefebvre's work (as well as others, did I mention all the notations?). For those who feel that the work they do focuses too little on the people affected or who wondered why most architects look the same this book is also for you. For those only interested in the form and theory behind shape making this book is mostly words so having it on your bookshelf will make you appear smarter and obviously appearances are important.

It was a good read, I am looking forward to going through it again with a pen and post-its in hand as I am sure to be using this book as a resource in further research.