David Byrne discusses at TED the influence of architecture and venue on musical activity. (I saw him give an extended version of the same talk, with discussion, at New York’s Center for Architecture.) It’s a question that’s especially relevant to electronic music, I think, as digital music has been a big confused about its venue, sometimes living in unfriendly dance clubs, and sometimes being homeless.
The natural question, the one Byrne doesn’t ask, is what venues might be next? What if artists took an active role in creating the architecture in which they perform?
I have plenty I could say about that, but instead, I’ll just spark the question. For some ideas, look to thinkers like Buckminster Fuller, who regularly worked with students on ready-made architectural constructions, built by hand, on the cheap, in short periods of time. Resources:
10 Gonzo Machines From Rogue Inventor Buckminster Fuller [Popular Mechanics]
Buckminster Fuller Institute
Archigram Archival Project, which assembles materials from the radical Archigram architectural collective