¶ Aesthetics of Uniformity (1)
← Aesthetics & Integrity | Aesthetics of Uniformity (2) →
Index Entry
I must caution you that you will be confronted constantly by the statement that mass production of houses eliminates the aspect of individuality which is so cherished by humans and without which they are afraid they will lose the identity of their personality, therefore, mass production houses will never gain popular acceptance.
My answer to that is that reproduction or regeneration of form is a fundamental of nature and that it is neither good nor bad in itself. However, reproduction of originally inadequate or awkward forms, or poor mechanics or wasteful structures, either by the hand of man or by the regeneration of the biologi- cal species, tends to amplify the original characteristic. If the original is annoying, reproductions become increasingly annoying; if the original is highly adequate to its designed purpose, reproductions become increasingly pleasing in the confirmation of adequacy. In the latter light, we continuously admire a fine species of cultivated rose or nature’s wild- flowers-- the more frequently repeated, the more beautiful. Conversely, the more frequently we see a maimed soldier, the more disheartening becomes the repetition. There would be even less virtue of the so-called individuality in the discovery
¶ Citations
- DESIGNING A NEW INDUSTRY, (RBF Reader, p.218), 1946
