The True Meaning

By Matt Owens

Since we just had mid reviews in studio I found this appropriate. I recently came across a blog article form ‘the all nighter’. The blog must be under construction or something because it does not look too good, unless that was the look they were going for? The blog is appears to be done by architecture students, although I could not figure out form where. They even have a Facebook page, but I could not gather much information from there either.

Anyway the particular article if found was about critics during reviews, and what your critics were actually saying. This could also be applied to your professors in studio during those desk crits that happen every day too. It’s about the hidden meaning behind what is actually being said. It is kind of like reading between the lines, sometimes your prof. or jury member is just trying to sugar coat something, or maybe they just feel inappropriate saying what they really want. Either way sometimes what is said is not actually what is being said. The list provided below is from the blog article form the all nighter. This may be helpful for all of us to decode the language of the review we just had and all of the critics in the future.

“That’s interesting”
Cool!

“Hmm interesting”
I can’t comprehend what you are saying so I am buying time

“Wow”
Wow

“What’s that”
Thats gotta go

“Holy Shit”
This is visually pleasing but its shit

“Check these buildings out”
Good ideas. Look these things up to expand

“You should read these books”
Your ideas suck. Read these books.

“That’s very impressive”
I am going to steal this

“Now you know”
I told you so

“Awesome”
I no longer think you’re braindead

“Talk to so and so for help”
I am tired of dealing with you. Go talk to my brown noser.

“I want five study models”
I know you only have time to produce 3 good ones and 2 shitty ones but do them
anyway for my amusement

“We communicate through our drawings. That is why I am so hard on you.”
Stop sucking at drawing

“Do you have more to show me?”
I know you don’t but I wanna see you squirm

“You should oranize your desk”
Throw out your old models. They’re painful to look at.

“You’re not being aggresive”
You’re a wimp

“This project can be more dynamic”
You’re being a wimp and your work shows it

“Get some sleep”
You’re not being productive and starting to smell. This greatly offends me.

“Where did you go for undergraduate?”
I probably went somewhere better