5.17.2005

An Eeeevil Architect?

Yesterday I went to a talk given by a well-known architect, Daniel Libeskind. I have some friends who don't really like his work, and one of them asked me beforehand to see if he was like Saruman (from Lord of the Rings), able to sway people's minds simply with the power of his voice.
I have to say, it was a pretty darn good analogy. I asked him about it later, and it turns out he's heard Libeskind speak before. "He could sell pants to a snake," is how he put it.
It's not only his compelling turns of phrase - light in the skies of Colorado and light in the eyes of its people was one example (he was at his best flattering the Coloradoans) - but also his manner of speaking. The tone of his voice and his facial expressions. Very personable and charming.
So when I was thinking of my friend's allusion to him being like Saruman, I started thinking "What if he were evil? We'd never know it. We'd be swayed by how natural it all sounded."
Presentation skills are often overlooked in architectural school, but I bet evil genius school has a minor in it.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I request a curriculum of the Evil Genius School, as I am thinking of this as a possible, lucrative career....
Ms. Portapotty

Nachum said...

Although bribery (of politicians, by a rich buddy of his) had a hand in his winning the WTC contest which, thankfully, he's now out of. They call him "Master Planner" (now *that* sounds eeeevil) and let him hang around press conferences, but the poor guy is shut out.