Falkirk Wheel, Panoramic view.

Falkirk Wheel, Panoramic view.
Image by Cameron Lyall, GNU license Wikimedia

20 July 2011

Re-Post-Industrialization?


The professor who spoke before we went to Glasgow made an interesting point about how the collapse of the Empire. He marked as the end of the first post-industrial economy. Those words had and effect on me ‘first post industrial’? How can that be? they didn’t even have computers.

Then I realized post-industrialism doesn’t need computers. Computers make logistics easier. Logistics is the key concept. And Logistics doesn’t need silicon. It’s faster and easier but a telegraph when compared the the age before telegraphs is just as revolutionary. With this data inefficiencies could be filled and niches found. Symbolic and interpretive work became more important. In that way the old British Empire was post-industrialist.

Then we visited a hundred year old post-industrial site. The Mackintosh building hoses the Glasgow school of art and is an exemplar of user centered design. Every room, corridor and space was designed for a purpose as an art school. It incorporated innovative and practical designs with enough artistic flourish to inspire student. It is a unique user centered place gracefully tucked into a tough space on a hill. Which Mackintosh uses for his advantage. There are large windows to view the city skyline on the third which at that area of the building appears to be five or six from the ground. and it’s basements and sub-basements have street level entrances.

I believe that for these reasons and more that Mackintosh was a postindustrial artist.

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