December 2006 | Eyesore

Commentary on architectural blunders in monthly serial.

The new addition to the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, by Daniel Libeskind -- scoring a two-in-a-row coup for the architect/savant on EOTM.

Why are all those people standing around in the foreground gaping at this spectacle? They are from the Royal College of Physicians, trying to figure out a treatment plan. The stuffy old gentleman of a museum has developed a horrendous steel and glass tumor. It has become the "Elephant Man" of museums.

Now, you may ask yourself: why is this sort of thing acceptable to the Guardians of Culture? The answer may be that it sends a truthful but subliminal message (which, alas, we are misinterpreting) that the mis-use of technology has become the fatal disease of civilization.

Interesting to note: the page announcing this on the ROM's own site, does not contain a picture of the new addition. In fact it states: "Daniel Libeskind's winning design (as proposed in the architect's written submission) is entitled The Crystal." Hmmmm. Written submission? Like, he wrote three paragraphs describing the idea without any drawings?