Architectural Anatomy with Zaha Hadid

International super star of architecture, better known as a 'starchitect,' but truly known as Zaha Hadid is under some serious flak as of late.  I believe it's due to the immaturity of the world and their relation of everything normal to a sexual state.  It seems nothing can be looked at these days without some sexual humor.  I'm in discussion about this in response to the criticism she has been receiving for her recent soccer stadium in the small Arabian state of Qatar.  The Al-Wakrah stadium was given to Zaha to design and propose has been a focal point all over social media and satirical shows such as 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (which I will discuss further).  Zaha used to be a very under the radar architect striving to find her own style that she could then share with the world.  It is common for architects to work for years of their lives until finally being recognized around the age of 50, which is what happened here.  Zaha was ambitious in her forms using white renders of the most curvy and obscure shapes.  They're something of an art form themselves.  Most are seen as conceptual forms and have struggled to make themselves present in our society in the past.  Recently, however, Zaha has found her place all over the world with her well recognized style.  She has become an icon to the architectural society and has even used her spare time to design shoes in the same shape she seems to repeat in her building design.  The stadium in Qatar uses the same formal gestures and swoops that she always has, except this one has a hole directly in the middle of it.  Not only is it agape to allow light to penetrate the soccer stadium and the field, but it just so happens to stretch out in a shape that most are calling 'labial.' Yes. Labial.  Representative of the female genitalia.  A vagina.  In this day and age something like this of course is going to get blown out of proportion and ridiculed by the people who hide behind their computers.  Which is a completely different discussion in itself; the internet and what it has become.  The voice of the many hidden behind their screens that will do anything to ridicule others through social media and other sites like buzzfeed.  Anyway, back to vagina buildings.  If any of the people who immediately bashed this building knew anything about the style and work of Zaha Hadid since the 1980s they would know that's just her style of work.  That doesn't mean she is trying to represent the female anatomy in her stadium.  She goes to say, "It's really embarrassing that they come up with nonsense like this. What are they saying? Everything with a hole in it is a vagina? That's ridiculous."  That was reported in the Times.  Now I can't lie and deny that it does share similarities, but she even explained to critics that she was basing the forms off of a local sailing ship called a 'dhow,' which is pictured below.  I have to say, she nailed the formal representation of the dhow in her form.  She just happened to place a gaping hole in the middle that shared similarities with a vagina.  Basically, I am arguing in defense for Zaha against the quick to ridicule minds of the world that is the internet.  Zaha had justification for her form, it is similar to the many works that she has always produced, and it is a style that represents a local figure of the culture.  Architecture is a strong part of visual culture and it is so easily ridiculed by people who will never even experience that building.  Nonetheless, internet has also become a huge part of visual culture, memes, video reviews, imgur.  Anyone, anywhere, can edit a photo to make it something else.  Television will also be a part of the visual world and television star Jon Stewart did his own critiquing of the Zaha stadium with an overlay of the British building 'the 30 St. Mary Axe,' or also known as 'The Gherkin,' (Also an analysis based on its form, which appears to be phallic), penetrating the stadiums opening.  Humorous, maybe, but that's what he does.  Anywho, I will say that I am not defending the building itself as it does not appeal to me, but I will defend Zaha and her architectural genius that has taken over an international setting.  Architecture will always be quick to criticize but at least have some intellect in your arguments.  

Zaha's Al-Wakrah Stadium

A dowh boat and it's sail.

Also, if you're interested in Jon Stewart's segment.  Here it is. http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-november-19-2013/unnecessary-muffness

Clever title right.

Until next time.