A review of a lecture by Roberto Chiotti, Principal of Larkin Architect Ltd., by Eunice Lam, Student at the Institute without Boundaries
As a person who could be described as an atheist, I was surprised to find myself “enlightened” by Roberto Chiotti’s lecture on the history of the Universe, our roles within the Universe, and the powerful abilities we possess as humans. Even with little religious background, I was intrigued and contemplative of Chiotti’s compelling story of the Universe in which harmony, creativity, and diversity are among the most significant attributes of a New Cosmology.
Roberto Chiotti, an architect and theologian speaks from the perspective of both, and relates theology to every aspect of our modern world, including design and the way we experience it today. He begins with questioning why the study of cosmology is important to design. Describing modern society and the timeframe in which our lives unfold, it makes sense that in order to propose designs for the future, we as designers must first understand the past, and how that past world conceptualized our current world. With this in mind, Chiotti argues that virtually every aspect of western society (law, politics, commerce, medicine, education), was designed upon the fundamental beliefs of a Biblical Cosmology, largely a First Genesis Cosmology in which the relationship between humans and God was ultimate; in which other living things were material, serving the needs of humans; and in which eventually God would restore creation to its original perfection at the end of time.
One can see the problematic elements of this thinking when it is presented in consideration of the natural living environment. Rooted in this old cosmology, humans have become accustomed to using our natural surroundings to benefit our existence, to prolong our lives, and to enhance our future experiences. But in the midst of all our advances, Chiotti argues, “we have become autistic to the voice of the earth.” A New Cosmology is described in which humans can achieve a cyclical relationship with the Universe, co-existing with natural cycles rather than fighting against or attempting to control other living things.
Chiotti then begins to read an excerpt from the Universe Story, a new creation story co-written by Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme: “Fifteen billion years ago, in a great flash, the universe flared forth into being…” As I listen, I am reminded of bedtime stories, the kind where the characters, though not human, have humanistic traits and behaviours, their actions described and illustrated in the mind. Pondering my own existence in relation to the vast Universe and all that has been created since the beginning of time, the story ended with one thing that resonated deeply with my new understanding of creation: “The human is that being in whom the universe, after some 15 billion years, has reached such a degree of complexity that [it] is now able to consciously reflect on itself, its meaning, who it is, where it came from, and what it is made of.” Humans are, essentially, nothing more than an expression of the Universe, though most privileged with the ability to study and understand one’s own creation.
According to Berry, Chiotti further explains that it is through humans, as a “reflexive consciousness of creation,” that the Universe can consciously participate in creation through love. How beautiful a thought it is that the cycle of the Universe continues to develop through our emotions, thoughts, feelings, actions. This ability to reflect upon the creation of all living things and the relationship between us forms a new understanding of the diversity of creation, and enables humans to shift away from past perceptions of the earth and start viewing the earth as sacred, as something from which we are created, rather than merely as a place we live. As designers, Chiotti says, we must realign our own creativity with the creativity of the universe.
This New Cosmology in design is represented in Chiotti’s St. Gabriel’s Church in Toronto, the first LEED Gold worship space in Canada. As a church with roots in an old cosmology, the design references past traditions, but demonstrates a new discourse between humans and the natural living environment, as understood in the New Cosmology. In addition to the environmental efficiency of the building itself, the church allows the visitors to connect with the natural surroundings visually, and contemplate their relationship to the earth. One of the most striking features of the church is the play of colourful light against the walls. Skylight strips of coloured glass situated along the perimeter of the ceiling catch the sun at midday to cast rays of light across the walls of the church. This is interesting to me, as light has always played a significant role in spiritual places, connecting a person to divinity. Here, it is used to enhance the spiritual experience of the church through a powerful, temporal, and breathtaking display that speaks of a divine light, but also of the rotation of the earth and the balance of the Universe. This, in effect sheds a “new light” on cosmology and the new creation story. It leaves only humans with the ability to contemplate our own existence as an expression of the Universe and how we might learn to consider other living things as similar expressions of the same universe, rather than using them for our benefit.
If a building can be designed to demonstrate the principles of this New Cosmology, enabling humans to adopt new priorities and perspectives towards the environment, I wonder what a neighbourhood or city designed under the same principles might look like and how it could function. Perhaps as designers, it is up to us to determine how we could design our future world based on this New Cosmology, and if it is true that “our cosmology not only interprets our past but also guides and inspires our shaping of the future, then we are living at one of the most significant turning points in history, the dawn of an entirely new era” (Chiotti). We, as the most complex expression of the world have the unique ability to design the world.
Further readings by Roberto Chiotti include:
“The Earth as Primary Architect.” Ontario Eco-Architecture (1995).
“The Earth as Primary Educator.” Ontario Eco-Architecture (1996).
Both articles were also presented at the OAA Envirofest.
1 Comment
December 9, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Thank you for your insightful commentary on the Cosmology lecture. By way of clarification, the quotation “we have become autistic to the voice of the earth” should also be attributed to its original author, Thomas Berry.