But the futurists rebelled against the concept of a museum, with its cherishing of the fusty past. Such nostalgia they deemed "pastism," meaning an affliction of sentimentality. In that light, Mussey's question of whether or not the Ellipse House is more a museum than a house is fascinating. This is meant to be a house. And the power of Cardillo's massive curves here lies in the fact they impose a watchful silence on the interior. The walls overwhelm the space instead of containing it; they don't define it so much as cancel it out. Standing inside, you have the urge to look out. But the structure is meant to exhibit the sky, to convey a sense of the curvature of the Earth. That's a global perspective—in a literal sense. Which is not arrogant. What's arrogant is to not be global.
Next Wednesday's Off the Wall: Emotional Architecture: House Pascal Arquitectos makes a space for mourning in Mexico
Jana Martin does not ascribe to the dancing about architecture theory, but she does like to look up.
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