For those of you who didn’t know it, MTM once lived in a little town called Chicago, Illinois. For six years, he ran his own architecture practice. He competed in worldwide architecture competitions, resulting in skyscrapers in Korea that he’s never seen. He was even a finalist in the Oklahoma City Memorial Competition and ended up on CNN.
Last weekend, he took me past a visible remnant of himself by showing me something he designed. On the front of a building in downtown Chicago, an entryway blared out MTM’s signature sensibilities, his clean lines and minimalist style. It was a piece of him that I could reach out and touch, from a time when I didn’t know him.
As we shivered our way around the city, I would catch our reflection, walking side-by-side in a random window glass. And, I wondered: did he ever walk this way and glimpse me? The two of us, together? When he ate fish and chips at his favorite pub, did a girl turn her head and conjure my image in her wake? Give him some clue of who he was seeking before he found me? Before he said hello?
I’ve studied photos of MTM from that time, scanning his younger face for the certainty of me. My favorite one of him from that era wasn’t taken in Chicago, though. It was shot in Japan. He is sitting alone in front of a glassy pond, broken by circular stepping stones, cherry blossoms dropping around him like pink-and-white confetti.
Somehow, I know I was there, too.
I just know it.
25 Comments
Life is serendipity and yours has indeed been fortunate with MTM entering it. Go ahead and have fun with fantasizing about life that was pre-MTM and imagine yourself in it…doesn’t hurt a thing and if it makes you happy, then so be it.
It is always interesting to return to places MTM was before he met me. I don’t know why I wonder about who he was then as much as I do. I mean, I know he was the same, on his way to being who he was when I met him. But still.
Very nice ponderings. I don’t know if you were there, but I know he was looking for you. It just took a while. You know how he tends to take a while shopping…
BTW, would love to see the picture of MTM in Japan and of the front of his building in Chicago. We need to see the MTM portfolio.
I don’t even know if he has a portfolio, but if you click on the OK link, his finalist competition drawing is the one on the left, the colorful one with the trees.
It should have won.
And, he has reminded me more than once that I should be glad he is so persnickety.
Actually, our entry is not shown on that page….here are two links: http://www.hannoweber.com/html/ud1_1_oklahoma.html
http://books.google.com/books?id=1WDS-INyWXEC&pg=PA213&lpg=PA213&dq=oklahoma+city+memorial+hanno+weber&source=bl&ots=jsdJBryFwG&sig=b11lOFViFNTrMk54VMhoIDIRWZc&hl=en&ei=dt6RTdDZIZGatwfE8dBp&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CDQQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=oklahoma%20city%20memorial%20hanno%20weber&f=false
Oops. Glad you posted direct links.
OK, I was prepared to be polite and maybe agree with you. But I really do! I like his the best. It flows better, seems more peaceful, and less rigid. Very nice design.
It is funny that the competition claimed they wanted a memorial that didn’t look like a graveyard…….and then they chose a design that makes it look like a graveyard…….
Also note that the jury comments thought our water feature (a cascade marking the outline of the bomb crater) was too morbid…then the World trade Center Memorial winner proposed….cascades that marked the outlines of the footprints of the building.
Your shaft of light idea for the World Trade Center was better, too. But, you have to be relieved not to be anywhere near that one.
Love this post. It is funny what you think about when your mate shows you glimpses of the life before you were together. I like the idea of someone else leaving an image of you in their wake…
As an architect I also appreciate the concept of early work revealing something of the designer, even years afterward.
I’ve been using the word “wake” too much of late. My book writing is bleeding over into my blog writing……
What was particularly funny about the building (it was a collaboration where MTM was brought in but did not design the whole)…..there were these iron balconies off some of the windows, and I said, “You did NOT pick those curlicue things.”
I was correct.
Yay! I love this, can picture it all you describe it so beautifully!
Thank you, Georgie. Trying to evoke good imagery is something I still struggle with as a writer. It is good to know when it connects.
Tune in tomorrow for my guerilla guest post…What was MTM doing on May 22, 1997 in Chicago? And why is it relevant to today’s post?….
Oh, Lord. I have to wait until TOMORROW?????? After you teased me with this already at coffee this morning??????
I could spill it here and now,,,but then you’ll be writing a post tonight at midnight, instead of doing somethng else….um, sleeping, I mean!
Heh. 😉
He was celebrating mine and the lovely Miss Teresa’s 10th wedding anniversary. We had him design a lovely cake for us.
Only MTM doesn’t ‘do’ baking, Lou.
Perverts!!
Heh…….;)
I love to retrace the events that led to Shawn and me crossing paths. I think we met right on time.
We always meet right on time, even though I was awfully impatient in the lead up myself. 🙂
Comments are closed.