"Eco-Tec: Architecture of the in-Between" is an unusual book in the category of ecological concern. It does surprise and enlighten aspects of ecological perspectives that would have become far too stereotypical. The book is a collection of diverse texts by philosophers, artists, architects, botanists and climatologists,all giving us their latests research and thoughts concerning particular angles of our environment. Take Felix Guattari's last published essay before his death in 1992, it sounds like his testament and it creates a new word with an upmost importance: ecophilosophy, an ethics of socio-ecology that wants to go to new roots and new beginnings.
Manuel De Landa's difficult elaboration of a concrete, multilevel, quasi
geological history of cities and their development, is in its effort an absolutely unique perspective on how cities grow and function; If De Landa is aware of Deleuze-Guattari or Jane Jacobs on his study of the culture of cities, he hypothesies a whole new paradigm from which to study and observe the never ending evolution of urban culture. He proposes original concepts of cities as 'heat islands' or "self organizing winds".
Criticism of the whole idea of 'ecology' and indeed of 'recycling', even
if such a concept never entered the discussion of te other authors and one presume of the discussion of the original conferences from which the
book is built from, Mark Wigley digs older histories of 'ecology' within
architectural discourse of the xx century, and he resurrects the controversial work by John McHale, author of "The Future of the Future" and "The Ecological Context". McHale, Wigley writes, was fascinated by prosthetic attachments, as recours to defects. Thus his vision is an amplification of the human organism via a discourse whre the ecologist does not talk about "plant life, food chains, mineral resouces, atmospheric condition", but it is artificial ecology that achieves center stage position. Even 'language" is assumed by McHale as a the first prosthesis.
No less critical is Mark Dery's essay on the "persistence of industrial memory" and our incapacity of thinking a truly post mechanical paradigm.
Echoing McLuhan's 'rear view mirror' assumption for any culture in prognosticating the future, Dery pokes irreverently at every aspect of contemporary culture and its eccesses. He sees the parallel between the disappearance of an industrial, mechanical world with the challenge of men's masculinity. The soft information economy replaces the hard penetrating devices of the industrial era. Dery is very clever in weaving Freudianism and McLuhanism in a cyberdance of ideas.
The counterpoint to those views are found through the equally stimulating work by internationally wel known artist Mel Chin. His notoriety rose with his projects on detoxification of heavy metals from experimental lands in America and Europe with the use of appropriate plants capable of absorbing these dangerous levels of toxicity. His overall multimedia approaches always touch sociological as well as natural ecology in forms and shapes that remain surprising and critical.
One can add the importance of James Wines, who writes in the book that "As the world enters the new era of the age of information and ecology, ECO-TEC offers a forum on relevant issues facing the next decade. It was
in this same spirit over sixty years ago that another theoretical discouse defined the principles of modern design, beginning with an eventful symposium known as the 'Athens Charter'". The presence of Neil Denari is also pivotal in the understanding of the unique and sometimes strange combination of partecipants and authors, who give in the end an exceptional outlook of the isses on ecology and technology and let us fill the hope that innovative, yet significant, new fresh approaches to issues are here on hand.
Review by Massimo Consoli
