Arches

In a message dated 4/13/02 12:45:20 PM, rmoss@RAREDEVICE.COM writes:

Re: Soft Wishing Y Memorial Space

<< What about using an image of the pseudo-arches at the base of each tower?

There are three tines instead of two, but it was the first thing I thought

of when you wrote WTC and Y-shapes. I have in my mind a picture of a

fragment of the base post-attack, but I can't find a good photo right now.

But here's a great pic of the intact tower:

http://www.greatbuildings.com/cgi-bin/gbi.cgi/World_Trade_Center.html/cid_2896783.gbi

Slate had an article a while back about how Yamasaki was influenced by

Islamic architecture in the design of the WTC, mentioning in particular

these arch-like (and tuning-fork like) features.

http://slate.msn.com/?id=2060207

-Becki >>

"The Mosque to Commerce
Bin Laden's special complaint with the World Trade Center.
By Laurie Kerr
Posted Friday, December 28, 2001, at 8:58 AM PT

We all know the basic reasons why Osama Bin Laden chose to attack the World Trade
Center, out of all the buildings in New York. Its towers were the two tallest in the city,
synonymous with its skyline. They were richly stocked with potential victims. And as the
complex's name declared, it was designed to be a center of American and global commerce.
But Bin Laden may have had another, more personal motivation. The World Trade Center's
architect, Minoru Yamasaki, was a favorite designer of the Binladin family's patrons—the
Saudi royal family—and a leading practitioner of an architectural style that merged
modernism with Islamic influences"

                         The story starts in the late 1950s, when Yamasaki,
                         a second-generation Japanese-American, won the
                         commission to design the King Fahd Dhahran Air
                         Terminal in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. His design
                         had a rectilinear, modular plan with pointed arches,
                         interweaving tracery of prefabricated concrete, and
                         even a minaret of a flight tower. In other words, it
                         was an impressive melding of modern technology
                         and traditional Islamic form. The Saudis admired
                         it so much that they put a picture of it on one of
                         their banknotes..."

In a message dated 4/14/02 8:27 PM, Willpap writes:

Re: Uncanny Soft Wishing Y Memorial Space

<<Becki,

I must thank you for your reference MSN's Slate (http://slate.msn.com/?id=2060207). Last night it led me down the most important digital dousing path to date. The article on Islamic correspondances/influences of Japanese architect Yamasaki in designing the WTCs as a plaza similar to Mecca, with 2 Minarets, is nothing less than stunning and in all likelihood one of the reasons for Bin Laden's focus on base buildings.

Together with the suggestion you also made of associating the pointed Arches with tuning forks and Ys, I set out through looking at my own area video footage of the Trade Towers both before and after the attacks, and of course set off virtually through the Internet to look at Islamic architecture.

As you'll see once I set up some imagery and pages to deal with this issue, the resemblance of the WTCs and many of the important religious and palace sites of the Middle East is undeniable. In particular I found a fascinating tomb in Iran called Monar-e-Jonban or The Shaking Minarets. In this landmark two minarets flank a central wishbone shaped arch. The reason they are thought of as "shaking" is that the geometry of the architecture is such that if one walks up one tower the other one shakes identically. A veritable tuning fork. So powerful was is shaking that a couple of these mosques have lost two-thirds of their Minarets. The British, as colonial powers, were often rumored to be responsible for this problem.

This pair of tombs, WTCs and Monar-e-Jonban so uncannily suggests the relationships between currently opposing cultures. And shows how reflecting the one is (always) in the other.

A colleague has also pointed out to me that the change from a Romanesque arch to the Gothic arch was generated by Western contact with the Middle east. Ultimately, the Gothic arch allowed for increased height of architectural structures, and hence ultimately the skyscraper.>>

In a message dated 4/15/02 1:46:42 PM, mdaven@ufl.edu writes:

Re: Fwd: Soft Wishing Y Memorial Space

<< Will,

I haven't been able to lay my hands on the specific art history book

that I cited the other night, but it is pretty well established

(not-so-common common knowledge) that the innovation known as the Gothic

(pointed) arch emerged from the intercultural contact between Europeans

and Moslems during the period of the Crusades. Christian crusaders saw

this architectural feature while waging war in the Holy Land, and the

idea got brought back north with them, eventually becoming incorporated

into architectural design for Cathedrals. Interestingly, this "new"

design element became so popular in religious architecture because it

allowed for these structures to soar ever higher toward the heavens -

sort of the first sky-scrapers.

Previously, Romanesque cathedrals featured rounded arches, and were

limited in height. The following website offers a little information

about all this:

http://arthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa040300c.htm

I know we mentioned a couple of other ideas related to Ys the other

night, but I can't recall if I promised to send any other info... Please

let me know if I can contribute further, and good luck bringing

everything together!

Melanie >>