Comments for Extollagy! by Jon Cannon

Comment on world’s oldest religious building types: stupa vs synaogue by joncannon

joncannon — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:45:33 +0000

Thanks, Toria. The short answer is, read my book! Out in the autumn. The long answer is, yes, religious buildings have been around since the 10th millenium BCE; though there’s a big gap betwween there and the third millenium. But those that are *still in use* start with the synagogue and the stupa. Taoism, of course, has two aspects, as in a sense does Hinduism. ‘Popular Taoism’, the local cults and superstitions of Chinese culture, is undatabely old, and also constantly in flux. ‘Philosophical Taoism’ starts in the C6BCE; they don’t merge and become an organised religion for several centuries, and there’s little to be said about either architecturally until that point. Hinduism likewise has its roots in the Vedas (undated, and no architecture) and in a host of local cults in the Indian supcontinent (compare ‘popular taoism’. The two come together to form what we call Hinduism in the period C5BCE-C5CE, only generating an architecture at the very end of that period. So Hinduism as a faith probably has older, or as old, roots as any faith currently practised on earth; but of the major faiths, its architecture is the second youngest: only Islam is newer. Suprising, huh?. As for iconoclasm, it occurs from place to place and time to time in most faiths, but what I find more interestting are the swings between strong use of imagery; use of symbolic or aniconic imagry; and focus on a text. Each faith has its own unique tale in this respect, and the story — even in Islam and Judaism, the most text-based faiths — is rarely a simple one. I’ll announce the book when it comes out!

Comment on world’s oldest religious building types: stupa vs synaogue by Toria

Toria — Thu, 02 May 2013 06:23:15 +0000

This is really interesting, Jon. Didn’t realize specially dedicated religious buildings are so recent in history. Strange to think that Stupas influenced architecture in China. Would have thought that Taoism and Hinduism, which are much older than Buddhism, would have developed dedicated worship buildings long before the death of Buddha. Judaism has always been about the book, the law – so it makes sense that a synagogue, a quite portable institution for a dispersed people, evolved. I’d never thought about these types of buildings in the way you draw them together, thank you. It might be interesting to take your line of thinking a step further and examine iconoclasm in these religions. To what extent is worship in the various religions dependent on visual stimulation – does this influence a desire to create a special space for the numinous?

Comment on Last call 2013 by Dave

Dave — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:28:42 +0000

I’m available 2-10 October if you need someone to carry your suitcase!

Comment on Landscapes of Thatcherism by joncannon

joncannon — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:01:14 +0000

Did think of hyperlinking all the sly cross-references, but hey, what’s google for…

Comment on Landscapes of Thatcherism by joncannon

joncannon — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:00:44 +0000

No, really?? Was trying to sound detached, while realising how much of one’s worldview was cast as the modern landscape was carved out around us.

Comment on Landscapes of Thatcherism by Robert Adams

Robert Adams — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:20:16 +0000

Jonky, Jonky, you sound nostalgic for the old lady and those easy certainties of youth…!

Comment on Landscapes of Thatcherism by Booshwa Facade

Booshwa Facade — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:47:57 +0000

I can follow some of it… but I like it. The poster somewhere in my garage still says Maggie Maggie Maggie OUT OUT OUT

Comment on Dandong/North Korea by joncannon

joncannon — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:59:27 +0000

I note, Great Leader and Premier Facade, that even your in-jokes date from the early 1980s…

Comment on Dandong/North Korea by Booshwa Facade

Booshwa Facade — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:56:39 +0000

North Korea, South Korea… but nobody ever talks about West and East Korea. What’s with that?

Comment on Al-Khidr the green one, swimming at the Taj by e-commerce

e-commerce — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 19:56:51 +0000

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