Sunday, August 19, 2012

Crisis Casualties: The Profession

Sparked by the crumbling economy, peaceful protests began taking place in Spain, such as one on May 19, 2011, at the Plaza de la Encarnación in Seville. The Metropol Parasol designed by J. Mayer H. Architects framed the occasion.
 The Pain in Spain 
Under this unfortunate title (as I told my editor, I have been trying to forget that song for well-nigh 45 years), I survey the devastating effects of Spain's economic crisis on the architecture community in the August issue of Architectural Record.

With over 45% of Spain's architecture studios closed or "open in name only" and a massive emigration of young talent underway, the only bright spot is that Spain's loss will be the rest of the world's gain.

And there's as yet no end in sight to the deepening crisis. We're back to age-old patterns: the emigrations of Spanish workers in the 1950's and 60's. or the cultural purge after the Civil War.... And all for the tight money policy of Angela Merkel and her voters: will German stupidity destroy Europe once more?

Photo from my story © Antonio Rull, showing a protest under J. Mayer H's  Metropol Parasol at Seville's Plaza de la Encarnación in May 2011.

No comments:

Post a Comment