Into the Genesis – The story roots back to the scripture scene where Eve, Adam and the serpent, where the serpent manipulates Eve and Adam to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree, which they eventually eat.
Had they kept their promise and did not feed their curiosity, today, we would have been living in a different world, a world without civilizations– a world with no cities, no towns, and no production and consumption. Likewise, who knows if you could be reading this on a phone or a PC?
Let’s try and expand our horizons of creativity by indulging in this reading which can just be the thoughts on the what ifs, much and more in an unprecedented world of storytelling with no architecture, and realize what this field has served in all means to humanity.
Even after man learned to create fire, he then learned to cook raw meat, make a shelter for himself and keep himself protected from predators. What if he decided to live in the jungle like Tarzan and not move out of the forest? Well then, all humans would still be hanging onto some massive tree branch in a vast forest, foraging and hunting animals.
“Human civilization is not something achieved against nature; it is rather the outcome of the working of innate qualities of mankind.” Mises, L. (1944) Omnipotent Government- The rise of total state and war. New Haven: Yale University Press.
The human race and the unprecedented possibilities | The Genesis
Even with the foraging, had he learned to grow crops, how else could he have known to protect the crops from flood and drought? Well, probably shielded with the tree trunks for flood and not cultivated during drought.
And what after that?
Humans would have happily tried to coexist and live in harmony with nature as nature can provide every need for humans and other species. Would humans have made it to the top of this ecosystem if that is so? Mostly it would have been other predators on the top of the food chain if humanity had not undergone cognitive evolution.
Well, this thinking is enthralling to realize how our life would have been if not for all these theories didn’t happen. It sounds very bizarre to even think of human existence until now if there hasn’t been cognitive evolution in the human race.
“What’s popularly known as the evolution of consciousness, in other words, that the expansion of cognitive repertoire that occurs in human beings, which has always been a great puzzle to evolutionary theory, I believe, occurred in the presence of a kind of catalyst for the human imagination.” (McKenna, T. 2019 Terence in Trance.
Architecture and cognitive evolution
Architecture is also an action proof of cognitive development in the human race.
While humanity succeeded in agriculture during his time, what if the next thing was not about finding mobility and inventing wheels? Where would human evolution have taken to? We would have some mobile animal cart or have petted some utopian bird to move around.
Every action of humanity involves cognitive thinking, and every invention is connected to others which also chains architecture.
So, did the human race exist with communication as the key? | The Genesis
It will only be confirmed if we admit that communication has kept us from extinction, along with other selective theories on evolution and humanity. The communicative medium has drastically kept evolving along with human cognitive development. It was not just to keep their fellow people informed on their moves for survival; did they draw in the wall of the caves where they lived? But to share and archive them for future generations to know and learn from their predecessors, which eventually became the art of storytelling amongst their clans and contemporaries.
Storytelling originated with sounds and visual narratives before mankind understood language. From then on, it also took over in parallel to express through vocal histories, folklores, writing and even printed typographies of stories of the clan, their contribution, invention, and everything which was ensured to be passed down the generations.
Even in recent past centuries, storytelling has had architecture and development be the backdrop substantially. For example, in any kingship story, the wealth, development, and successful innovation talk about his reign. Be it a historical love romance, it also revolves around beautifying scapes of architecture where the protagonists meet, not just forts but other gardens, memorials, and more.
Unprecedented storytelling from the past
To imagine our history, which skips the part of Iron man trying to live in a cave and communicate through his sketches on the cave, to imagine into the genesis of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro not happening, where would all the arts, crafts and ornaments found as fossils have been lying under? Would they have been created in the first place?
Humans always needed motivation, and architecture promised to be a platform to support the same. There’s often a distinction drawn between ‘natural’ and ‘man-made’. Architecture has helped mankind unfold faith, vision, and passion. It has taught us how to work with humanity, beauty, and awe; above all has given us a reason to dwell and think.
Architecture has always proven to enhance the lifestyle and development around the same. Architecture has been a driving force to make humans what we are, it led to conquering places, palaces, and money, as well explore the world, people, food, culture, and more. All of this has been revolving around architecture and infrastructural development and also conquering even to date.
Human’s natural intuition towards architecture and living | The Genesis
Often people can take sides in understanding architecture’s role and impact on human life. If not putting a roof above the head, harvesting water, taking up agriculture, and so on, it would not have happened if the basic ideology to build things was not encouraged and experimented with. Every kid learns to scribble on paper. Likewise, every kid taken to a beach knows to make a sand castle. It is woven within us to explore and evolve on constructive creation of built or unbuilt even as a child before becoming more rational.
Citation:
- Books
Mises, L. (1944) Omnipotent Government-The rise of total state and total war. New Haven: Yale University Press.
McKenna, T . (2019). Terence in Trance: 696 Synoptic Notes of Terence McKenna.
- Online sources
Can you imagine a world without architecture? – Into The Genesis – sci-arc (no date) SCI. Available at: https://www.sciarc.edu/news/2017/can-you-imagine-a-world-without-architecture (Accessed: November 19, 2022).
- Images/visual mediums
YouTube videos
SCI-Arc Channel. (2017). Imagine A World Without Architecture.[YouTube video]. Available at:
https://youtu.be/9c8FtVMxdaE
Images/photographs-Print or Online
Hofmann,H. The Fall of Man.[pen and ink]
Available at: https://pixels.com/profiles/heinz-tschanz-hofmann?tab=artwork&page=27.
Anon., n.d. Human brain size development and human progress. [photograph] Available at: https://blog.ginihealth.com/content/images/size/w2000/2018/06/Evolution-of-brain-Timeline2-3.jpg
Anon., n.d. the story of wheels. [photograph] Available at: https://www.nation.com.pk/digital_images/large/2018-01-23/the-story-of-wheels-1516720633-5299.jpg
Stonehenge (no date). Available at: https://render.fineartamerica.com/images/rendered/default/print/8/3.5/break/images/artworkimages/medium/1/stonehenge-salisbury-plain-wiltshire-ken-welsh.jpg.
Anon., n.d. build a sand castle. [photograph] Available at: https://rhythmsofplay.com/get-outside-connect-build-a-sand-castle/.
