In the early 80s I attended a performance by Laurie Anderson in the then decrepit plaza of the New York State Pavilion at the site of the old 1964 World’s Fair in Flushing. She stepped up to the microphone gazing around and said “Wow, so this is what the future looks like 25 years later“. Recently I had the opportunity to visit Buckminster Fuller‘s geodesic dome in Woods Hole Massachusetts, abandoned and in utter disarray.
On the property, a new development springing up, the piles of earth pushed towards this now crumbling signifier of a bright and shiny future. So this is what the future looks like 70 years later. The dome was built in 1953, commissioned by a local restauranteur, and was Fuller’s first attempt at building the unique structure he developed. His general vision for geodesic domes was ambitious – he felt certain he could solve building and housing shortages with these domes which needed significantly less materials to build. The Dome Restaurant was regarded as an incongruous eyesore to some in the neighborhood, alas it was a very popular place for those seeking its novelty, and it thrived into the 80’s. As it turned out, it was a leaky affair and a heat trap as well. The future at 30 years…. After decades of neglect, new owners wanted to bulldoze this piece of history to make way for development, but neighborhood outcry secured a deal where they will not only keep but restore the dome. Even so, the plans and the dome’s exact future are not clear as of today.
Back in the early days of working with my composite panoramic photography I envisioned making 3D environmental wraparound panoramic photographs, a precursor to QTVR, the kind of photographic experience you can now do with an app on your phone. I was using Bucky’s domes as direct inspiration. I guess I’ve been a fan for a while; I made a few of Bucky’s ‘Tensegrities’ (tension-integrity) sculptures while in school. Riffing on the dome but eventually settling on a Mercator-projection style solution which was more fitting for how I was creating these panoramics, I made a few mock ups, including a reasonably large one which I did have in a show in the 80’s.
Coincidentally, on that otherwise lovely drive I had been listening to the book ‘Bittersweet – How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole’ by Susan Cain which my sister Tracy recommended. It’s a great book. As part of the author’s journey she talks a lot about the soothing power of melancholic music and lyrics and her absolute favorite artist in this vein is Leonard Cohen. A line from one of my favorite Leonard Cohen songs ‘Last Year’s Man’ popped into my head as I tried to reconcile the sadness of seeing this important monument falling apart, its future uncertain. “All the rain falls down Amen, on the work of last year man” I give my first impulse to save it some credence, “No, not the bulldozers! Something must be done to save this structure, this piece of history!” But why and for how long? I relax and realize it will be OK either way; I’ve learned a thing or two about impermanence over the years. All the same, right now it would be a helluva place to hold your next rave.
David McGlynn 