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Caesar, as the main protagonist, architect, and artist, has the power to freeze time (the moment), which explicitly points to well-known definitions of art, such as ‘Eternity captured in a moment.’ That moment can last longer or shorter. It can be a picture, a film, a book, or something else. To show the extremity of this definition, in the movie, time is frozen, and it absolutely stops, so that we may become aware of the eternity behind the movement.

However, as the film develops, we notice a contradiction. Caesar’s City of the Future is a city of Kinetic Architecture, a City of Movement. This negates the first definition of art that was previously established—static Normative Value.

This shift from static and timeless to dynamic and temporal can also be found in the level of philosophical discourse in Foucault’s Theory of Science, as well as in many others, especially in the 20th and 21st centuries. The new paradigm nullifies the previous one, just as the next one will nullify the current one. Value is no longer ontologically permanent but exists only within a certain time (for a certain time). After that time, it loses value and becomes non-value.

Such reflections align with ‘process states’ and modern perceptions of the world and axiology.

Dave Chappelle gave a speech that encapsulates the modern perspective on values in a few words:

‘People are trying to replace the ideas of good and bad with better or worse, and that is incorrect. Good and Bad is the compass, it helps you find the way, and the person that only does what’s better or worse is the easiest type of person to control. They are a mouse in the maze that just finds the cheese.’

In the continuation, you will find an architectural-drawing heuristic analysis of this ‘problem,’ with the hope that its (de)construction will open new fields of understanding of static and dynamic values.”

1. Phenomenon – in itself – Constituent

2. Story – as a series of Phenomena

To reduce both subjects of observation (both the Phenomenon and the Story) to their minimal extremes, we will observe them as two-dimensional images.

1. Phenomenon

“Now is a boundary—it is before and after. And time is that which, according to a certain order, exists both before and after. Now is a boundary, not a part of time, for a part measures a whole, and time is not composed of present moments. For now is not a part of time, just as a point is not a part of a line (the point, rather, is the boundary of the line), and now is not a part of time but a boundary. Therefore, no present moment can be before or after itself; nor can there be a now that extends, because then part of that present moment would be in the past, and part in the future.” – Aristotle, Physics, Book IV, 10 (218a, 10-23)

The phenomenon in itself pertains to particularity (singularity). A single object, outside the context of the Many. The phenomenon, in itself, is static in nature. Its incompleteness (openness) on both sides—the side of the beginning and the side of the end—gives the impression of dynamism. In truth, the beginning and the end do not exist; there is only the present state.

We explain this present state through the Point. The Point is what constitutes its existing ontology. The Point arises as a consequence of contextual content, and its future also dissolves into contextual content. The Point has no characteristics except position, and it is not Content, although it is composed of it and dissolves into it. The Point is purely spatial.

The Point arises as a consequence of the End of the preceding and continues into the Beginning (undefined) of the next. Thus, geographically, it is located between the End and the Beginning, not the Beginning and the End.

With the addition of time, the Point (Phenomenon) gains historicity—the Origin of becoming—Past, and it gains a Future—the direction of participation. However, when this point is stretched through time, it is no longer a spatial ontology but a temporal one; ergo, it is no longer merely a point, as its extension stretches into both Future and Past.

With this addition of the temporal category, the Point transforms into a Story.

2. Story

Beginning – Middle – End

A Story consists of 3 points because only in this way can its objective movement be determined.

Unlike the Point, a Story is a closed (Completed) system. A clear Beginning, Development, and End.

The foundational Point of a story is not the initial or the final but the Developmental. The Developmental Point constitutes the story and its complexity, ergo it cannot even be called a Point, but rather Content.

As a consequence of the complication of the story’s developmental part, a New Point is synthesized—the Novum Point. This Point is Content-based in its function but also geographical (like the other non-content-based points) in its fundamental definition.

Commentary:

What makes a Story “more interesting” than a Point is its dynamic (mutable) nature. Immutability in the modern era loses its value. Perhaps because the idea of basic ontological (immutable) values is fading, or it is less noticeable due to its static configuration. Transitory (temporal) values are becoming the new ontology.

Constituents set in this way bring us back to the question of the Individuation of Archetypes. Are Archetypes Completed, in Process, or both simultaneously, with their manifestation depending solely on the position of perspective?

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Is there a connection between the development of Humans and the development of Architecture? We believe so, and we will outline our argument.

Collective Unconscious – First Stage of Development

The World of Archetypes – The World of Platonic Ideas: This is the starting point. The prevailing psychological theory is that a baby’s mind (psyche) is made up entirely of the collective unconscious, and its ego is not yet formed. This means that the filter of semantics does not exist yet. Everything is seen as a unified whole, rather than as separate entities (context – starting point). However, as Jung says, “differentiation is Creation,” and according to the natural progression of human life, symbols begin to gradually form. Just as with people, the design of any building starts from this collective whole – the Platonic-Euclidean world – from which simple forms are distilled to become the building blocks of future compositions. These forms are pure and unaffected by ego projections; they are recognized through the universal qualities of Platonic ideas – Triangle, Rectangle, and Circle.

In a similar vein, this approach of atomizing into the most basic forms, akin to Platonic ideas, allows for an understanding of the ontology of contextual existence in which something is created and articulated, laying the groundwork for the development of more Complex Compositions.

Persona 1.0 – Duality – Second Stage of Development – Deconstruction

The will is formed, and personal perspectives take shape. The once indivisible whole becomes dualistic. There is One “I” that is made up of Multiple internal elements, while the external Many, has a strong philosophical implication of the One.

Architecture exists in two dimensions: horizontal and vertical. It also has two ontological voids: doors and windows. It has two walls, one vertical, and one horizontal. These are some of the simplistic views on simple Dualism behind reduced Architectural work. However, these oppositions do create initial dynamics that stand as a basis for the nature of architecture.

Duality as the First Principle must be seen as a cohesive entity in order to convey its dynamic purpose.

Persona 2.0 – Third Stage of Development – Integration

“And those who want to remain pure must understand that they must cleanse themselves in dirty water” F. Nietzsche.

What does this sentence mean?

Our initial understanding is that “dirtying” oneself is a necessary component of growth and maturity. To lead a proper life, we must be open to both dirty water and swimming in it. Those who seek individuation must also be ready for conflict.

“Cleansing in dirty water” refers to the concept of the anti-example. With this non-example, Nietzsche introduces a broader ethical framework that is different from dualistic ethics (good-bad). Instead, it is a three-fold framework (good – not-good – whole).

We cleanse ourselves in dirty water, not pollute, as Nietzsche’s image shows. Nietzsche was ahead of his time when he understood this idea. Cleansing through conflict.

Analysis of the quote:

In our world, everything is imbued with meaning. This meaning encompasses not only the positive examples of a phenomenon but also its negative counterpart. These two polarities exist in a singularity, forming two sets and a relation in between. The concept of negation (anti-example) is therefore one of three ontological parts of the phenomena.

Although it can be challenging, it is possible to master the art of following positive examples. A moral compass is something we all strive for, but learning from negative examples is more difficult. These examples are not easily defined and are often reduced to our own interpretation and some form of representation, such as an image, sound, or language.

The negative example stands in contrast to the positive one, yet defining this contrast can be challenging. It encompasses everything that is not the positive example, creating a broad spectrum of potential negative examples. These examples, when understood, contribute to the foundation of our understanding, offering lessons that cannot be gleaned from positive examples alone. By embracing and interpreting these negative examples, we build the ‘intro-structure’ of our comprehension.

Given that negative examples are prevalent in our world, it is important for a wise person to learn how to use them. These negative examples, interpreted and located on the inside of infinity, are necessary building blocks for the intro-structure of our understanding. This delicate balance, once understood, shapes the foundation of our inner logic and guides our external expressions. It is in this nuanced integration, where abstract ideas meet tangible realities.

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Architecture is a living symbol. A symbol built from the memory of the ancestral cave we come from, and the fractal edifice we aspire to. In the interspace of history and the future, memory and anticipation, reality and fantasy, the architectural symbol is the imago of the process ego that strives for the absolute. In this sense, architecture can be seen as a manifestation of the “eternal return,” the idea that history repeats itself and that the present is always connected to the past (Nietzsche).

Architecture is an extension of the image of man, ergo an extension of the image of life. Architecture is not just a physical structure, but a reflection of the present and a manifestation of historical knowledge. It has the power to create harmony between the past and present and to serve as a place where one can recognize themselves.

Ideal, as an image, is a formative tool, not an instance on the path of individuation. Architecture mediates between opposing extremes by negotiating the tension between practical needs and guiding ideals. It connects the physical and spiritual, the material and intangible, functioning as a form of “dialectical synthesis,” reconciling opposing forces and resolving contradictions (Hegel). The architect Louis Kahn famously said, “A great building must begin with the unmeasurable, must go through measurable means when it is designed and in the end must be unmeasurable”

In conclusion, architecture describes and defines the world in which we live, by creating physical manifestos of our ideals and dreams. It allows us to build a world reflecting who we are and what we aspire to be. As a mirror of “self-realization”, it is a vital part of the individuation process, helping us define and express our unique identities and values. Jean-Paul Sartre observed, “Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself”

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Do Archetypes Individuate?

Tolkien says that they do – Gandalf the Gray becomes Gandalf the White (Archetype of the Wise Old Man). Lady Galadriel with the refusal of the ring passes the test. Vladeta Jerotic, Patriarch Pavle and Swedenborg believe the same. Probably many others. With Jung, however, they are complete. Jung does not explicate this, but their completeness is of a cumulative character. Archetypes are complete, archetypal representations are not. Here we see a resemblance to language – A limited number of letters, an unlimited number of words; a Limited number of words, an unlimited number of sentences. The first ontological constituents are always complete. Their completeness is necessary for the development of potency in the next level of ontology (ref: Jung’s Abraksas).

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This text represents the normative grammatic for understanding the architectural project “The Three Corners of the twofold Circle“

Prologue

Four Corners of the Geminate Circle is a Jungian concept that will be the central theme of this text which will once again culminate in architectural exegesis. Besides Jung’s thesis, the aesthetic categorization by Benedetto Croce will also be represented here, as well as the idea of a living, or better yet, lived conception of theatre.

Although it seems random, the selection of these three themes, which are combined into one, have more similarities than can be assumed.

Carl Gustav Jung – The Compass of four Temperaments

“The Compass of four Temperaments” – is an image type representation of Jung’s personality categorization. In the “Psychological types”, in addition to the basic division between extroverted and introverted types, Jung introduced the four subcategories (thinking, feeling, intuition, sensation).

The Compass of four Temperaments is oriented in relation to its own opposites. Thus, in contrast to thinking are feelings, and sensation is the opposite of intuition.

Benedetto Croce – Aesthetics

Benedetto Croce, in his “Essays”, defined several types of art according to their aesthetic intensity or value. We will make use of three basic types, which may involve the largest part of the artistic work. He (Croce), categorised these types qualitatively from the lowest, satisfactory visual representation, through the middle which he called “minimal logic”, in which art conveys some form of knowledge, to the highest, or “intuitive” art. Three Corners of the twofold Circle falls under the “minimal logic”, type of work since its main focus is on establishing architecture as a possible educational apparatus.

Theatresports, or life as a Performance

Theatresports is an interesting concept that we will observe more as a philosophy than theatrical practice or theory. This modified scene-idea consists of interactions. The interactions of the audience and the actors, shows and observers. Incorporation of planned scripts and spontaneous reaction. Merging of the audience and the scene. The scene on which no one performs, but the performance that is being lived by everyone. The stage where the stereo and proto-types are precise, elaborate, and all figurate together.

Rational Theatre – Act 1

By taking into the account strict dual division of our split-sided circle, we came to the conclusion that the “rational theatre” is the one that should convey the most knowledge.

The Choice

In the architecture of rational construct, we become aware of one particular element principle. This element is the main constituent of reasoning-suprastructure. It is a Choice. Since Sartre most famously stated “man is condemned to himself”, he also condemned him(man) to the inevitability of choice. Among others, pre existentialist philosopher Otto Weininger discredited this condemnation to freedom for its contradictory (we have to choose, ipso facto we’re not free).

Emotional Theatre – Act 2

Emotion, by itself, is proto-existing. The condition of its existence is belonging. It remains a non-existing unit it becomes the property of its carrier, only then it becomes real.

If we imagined and dreamingly-designed emotion and what such fantasie carries, certainly that we would come to the fluid (organic) form. Open and free-figure phantasmagoria. In some cases, hidden and geminate in other revealed and playful. We would come to the architectural algorithm* which moves in waves and arcane intervals. The rhythm of these intervals is not moderate and uniform (“Roads of excess lead to the palaces of wisdom” – William Blake). Not predictable and schematic. Some of the intervals have introductions, development and dismissals. In others, the entire composition is a big crescendo. The third one serves as an undertone and has profound connotations.

Irrational content is here and it is flawless and a part of the deep spirit of the time. As such, it should be accepted, recognized, and from it should be learned. The main feature of this irrationality is not in its inhibitory properties but in its ability to upgrade and create. Any desire, hope or belief is built on these channels of irrational-emotional content.

Intuition theatre – Act 3

The problem of isolation, or a try for authentic originality at all costs, has led to the fact that the boundaries of artistic works are also the limits of any existence. Possible-world, or world of possibilities and absolute relativity, which stands in the background of artistic creation has been discontinued. Simplified, today’s works of art do not recognize any context from which they were built, or anticipate any context of what’s coming. The idea of Jung’s suggestive incompleteness in the artwork is completely replaced by the idea of harmonious perfection. The works are sentimental, completed and fixed. The monumentality of past artworks, which was evident in their width and transparency (transparency where the spirit of the time was visible), is replaced by vertical suggestions and imperatives of harmonious cemented compliance.

Sensation Theatre – Act 4

Architecture is by its constitution and method of consumption visual. Only after that, it is textural and finally auditory. Because its basic characteristic is a physical manifestation, that we understand through the senses of sight, we will remain in this field.

How do things look like and whether behind the looks hides some real or semi-real wealth, which in metamorphosis enriches the inner world of spiritual needs, is the big question today. If we stick to the mainstream media and the vast majority of today’s visual authorities, we will easily come to the conclusion that behind the physical appearance stands nothing. Not for the reason that under these superficial shells is something missing, if we start to dig, but because we come to the disappointing conclusion that there was nothing planned to be hidden so that it may be discovered. Integument has its own and closed purpose of a momentary appeal to the observer (the interpreter). The harmonic perfection of its architecture creates a sense of logical consistency and gives the viewer a sense of satisfaction because they understood the presented Sintema*.

Not long ago, the concept of decorative shells, which serves the purpose of ornaments-decorations, that is hooked over certain functions, were considered the definition of kitsch. The vulgarization of ornament-statements and pandering of sense-ideas to the good looking-ideas spawned a host of stylistic figures, or even better stylistic caricatures, which tells stories of their own absurdity. The former idea that the meaning is constituted in the breaks of the absurd and absurd is found in the intervals of the meaning, is replaced by the esthetic emptiness. This aesthetic prosthesis is so effective in its functioning that although it is a simulacrum of reality, the collective imagination declared it as an authentic authority.

Sintema* – short and vague phrase that should be resolved like a puzzle

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