Big Shorts: A Look at the Oxymoronic direction some artists will go to get attention…

A great man (OK, the mediocre Irish dramatist Brendan Behan) was once heard to remark “There’s no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary.” While he may have had a point, some artists in any and all mediums have recently been taking this sentiment altogether the wrong way. Take the recently completed CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, China. I think it’s safe to say that there has never been a building quite like this one anywhere in the world. With globalization in full force, and China in the spotlight as a burgeoning economic superstar among nations, it’s only natural for the Chinese government to want to make as big of an impression as possible. Emerging superpowers have a habit of doing this: France did it with the Palace at Versailles, America did it with the Empire State Building. And though beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, it is my opinion that the CCTV building is a clear artistic success. But hate it or love it, that building will be turning heads for years to come.

I do have a few problems with it:

Architecture has the curious distinction of being the only major school of art that requires a practical use for the work or art itself, especially a skyscraper such as this one. The Eiffel Tower was famously derided by half of Paris when it was built in 1888 and now stands tall as the iconic symbol of France. The Eiffel Tower, however, was not built to house 25,000+ workers on a daily basis. The CCTV tower currently is at risk of collapse if a major earthquake hits Beijing (a city with high levels of seismic activity). It takes up an obscene amount of downtown Beijing office space, and it cost a mind-blowing $960 million dollars. I cannot say I have been in this tower but I would assume that getting from one section to another is far more difficult than in a standard skyscraper.

But we all have to suffer for our art, and I can imagine that architect Rem Koolhaas, who designed the project, has endured more than his share of abuse, as well as praise, for his vision. And though the building itself may present a few dangers and inconveniences to those who actually work in it, it has the potential to be as representative of modern China as the Great Wall is of the ancient. Just like every great work of architecture, its distinctiveness and innovation is what makes it so special. A hundred years from now we may be looking at China as the undisputed Superpower on the planet, with the CCTV Headquarters a glowing symbol of might. Just the potential for that kind of glory is reason enough for it to exist.

If it doesn’t get destroyed by an earthquake, that is.