Today was somewhat of an Aalto summit on the Finnish leg of the pilgrimage; Saynetsalo Town Hall. A building I regard as an exemplar. where ideas and making come together in a manner that is sublime, and all those little hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention and all breath is inward.
But I get ahead of myself.
Many years ago (when Woolly Mammoths were commonplace in the vast forests of Portsmouth) and I joined the School of Architecture, I was billeted with my erstwhile tutor Dr. Richard Bunt (the Governor). On his office door was the sign; 'Ministry of Coincidences', bestowed by an errant group of students who detected a propensity for coincidence to occur within that space when conversations unraveled. As they did. Often.
Upon taking up my desk within this hallowed hall Dick immediately (and somewhat undemocratically) appointed me ‘Under Secretary of State for Serendipity’ – a role I undertook with some gusto, in my (then) (relatively) youthful naivety.
Today, that early immersion in being open to coincidence stood me in good stead.
I did of course ‘research opening hours, routes of passage etc', but upon arrival at the Town Hall was somewhat alarmed to find it locked. Indeed, the sign (in two languages taped inside the front door) informed me that the entire Town Hall population had migrated to another place and that visits were only possible with one week (minimum) advance notice. Breath this time left my body for all the wrong reasons.
I had visited before and so resigned myself to an external examination of this special place. Off I plodded rather disconsolately. Circumnavigating slowly, a pickup truck arrived, a man hopped out bearing on his uniform those immortal words ‘facilities management’ which even with my limited knowledge of Finnish somewhat inappropriately excited me. As he walked towards the Town Hall I gave him my best ‘Hei Hei’ and pursued him before he could unlock.
I explained in my best Finnlish that I was an elderly Professor of Architecture who had taken a wrong turn on my way to a Sewage Conference (Dick will get that) and was it at all possible to enter the building? I showed him by business card that seemed to convince him that I was indeed genuinely a lost sole with an interest in Aalto. It transpired he was there to fix the library lights.
He invited me into the library, and the to my astonishment proceeded to give a private tour of the whole building opening every door, exploring each nook and cranny (of which there are many) and exhibiting saintly patience towards the Englishman who for some reason seemed obsessed with photographing door handles, lights, space and waxing lyrical constantly.
Dick, you taught me well. Trespass. Be awake to serendipitous moments and when they occur, dive on them.
It's an essay in democracy
In light, material and texture
In form, ritual and landscape
In the acts of architecture
In detail and materiality
In meaning and symbolism - the public sit above their representatives bathed in the light (of collective wisdom)
The public are behind the representatives watching and listening....
Tactility and humanity at every scale.....
Tectonic articulation
In material use
So thank you Dick for all those lessons well learned and my thanks to my new Finnish friend and the God of 'Facilties Management'. Never thought I would say that.
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