Perspecta journal
Perspecta 48 considers the uses and abuses of history and ignites a debate about the role of memory in architecture. Architecture, the most durable of the arts, is inextricably linked to issues of memory, nostalgia, and history. Yet, in this impatient century, the discipline’s relationship to the past has become increasingly fraught. The stream of readily accessible information has trapped us in a perpetual present, and our attention spans have been reduced to 140-character bursts. As archives overflow and data multiplies, these accumulating facts lack any theory of significance. Is history still relevant in a media landscape where time passes at an accelerated pace?
Aaron Dresben, Andrea Leung, Ed Hsu, and I were the editors of this issue. We determined the topic, built the masthead, edited the essays, and selected then guided the graphic designers in laying out the issue.