Kjell Olsen, Wright Sketches for Broadacre City,   CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

In 1958 Frank Lloyd Wright published The Living City . Appearing a year before his death the book contains his final thoughts on the subject of remaking American cities in a truly 'organic' and 'democratic' style. In its pages Wright outlines his vision for his ideal Broadacre City and many of the themes explored here had preoccupied the great architect for much of his life.

As an insight into Wright's philosophy of architecture it is invaluable. Indeed the work is part philosophical and political treatise, and part, prescription for his 'democratic' city of the future.

His plans have been dismissed as Utopian and criticised for being too auto centric but at least one commentator has recently suggested that it may be time to take a second look -  Is the world ready for Frank Lloyd Wright’s suburban utopia?

In the final part of 'Living City', Wright poses the following question:-

"Do you question the fundamental direction for American citizens of the future? Then first learn the meaning of these words:-

'Organic' 'Decentralisation' 'Integration' 'Democracy' " 

In issuing the above challenge, Wright clearly intends that you should acquaint yourself with his own interpretation of these terms.

Organic Architecture

Frank Lloyd Wright did not coin the phrase 'organic architecture' and he wasn't the first (or last) to use it but a number of relevant themes emerge from a consideration of his work and writing.  It is difficult to precisely define this term and it is certain that Wright's understanding of it grew and developed throughout his career. Broadly speaking, however, he was determined that his buildings should be constructed to harmonize with their surroundings in such a way that - "No house should ever be on a hill or on anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together with each the happier for the other." He also preferred to build with local materials wherever possible.

Importantly he also insisted that - "The reality of the building does not consist of the roof and the walls but the space within to be lived in”. Consequently the interior space determines the exterior form and there should be a sense of space flowing through the interior rooms. The use of L-shaped designs with copious window space was also intended to blur the distinction between exterior and interior, once again enhancing the sense of space.

Decentralisation

Wright was no fan of the American city in its present form. He regarded it as the embodiment of a form of centralisation intrinsic to modern capitalism and cursed by the burden of 'rent' which it imposes on its citizens. Wright defines various forms of 'rent' and seems to include wage labour amongst them. He wished to abolish overcrowding by building more spacious communities in which each couple would have an acre  of land, more for larger families, at their disposal in which to  practice agriculture and grow vegetables  both for their own consumption and for sale at local community markets.

Integration

Lest the above prescriptions should sound like a recipe for vastly increased suburban sprawl, albeit with bigger yards and better designed houses, it should be noted that Wright's communities would be provided with integral features like community centers, design centers and roadside markets. These would integrate, or reintegrate citizens with their local communities just as the newly designed homes would reintegrate them with their environment.. These features will be discussed later in this article.

Democracy

Wright believed that architecture is, "... the logical outline, the background and framework as well as the philosophic and aesthetic center-line of any true civilisation."

Consequently he believed that it alone possessed the power to create an environment in which a true capitalist democracy could flourish. Witness the following from 'The Living City':-

"Optimistic, nonpolitical, exurban, vernal, spacious, free! All this - yes. In practical outline here is the feasible idea of organic  social democratic reconstruction of the city belonging to creative society - the living city. Abolish not only the 'tenement' and wage slavery but create true capitalism. The only possible capitalism if democracy has any future."

Whether the breadth of Wright's vision was powerful enough to achieve the effect that he desired is up to the individual reader to decide but for now let's examine some of the features of his ideal or 'Usonian' * communities.

'The Living City' contains sections on many of the building types that will grace the Usonian city of the future. There are chapters on offices, apartments, motels, theaters etc. But perhaps the structures that would most exemplify the philosophy and spirit of these settlements are the following three.

Community Centers

These would be - "a salient feature of every countryside development of the county, wherever the county seat may be."

"Golf courses, racetracks, the zoo, aquarium, planetarium - all would be found at this general center. Good buildings grouped in architectural ensemble with botanical gardens, art museum, libraries, galleries, opera etc."

As will be seen from the above quotation these centers would serve a much wider variety of functions than present day community centers do. They would serve as mini 'town centers' offering a full range of recreational facilities.

Design Centers

These would be 'live in' establishments where the brightest and best in the local community or those with some flair for practical design, would work with machinery donated by industry to create new and original designs. Industry would also provide tutors for these style centers and benefit from the results of their work. Wright insists that there should be no entry exams for these establishments. He also maintains that these centers would have real producing power and that, "each month a supply of usefully beautiful things would be ready for roadside markets."

Roadside markets are perhaps one of the more interesting and original features of the Usonian community and we will turn our attention to them next.

Markets

Wright describes them as follows:-

"Great spacious roadside pleasure places these markets, rising wide and handsome like some flexible form of pavilion - designed as places of cooperative exchange, not merely of commodities but of cultural facilities."

Wright sees the germ of these future establishments in modern day county fairs and farmers markets, however in the Usonian community of the future they would serve a multiplicity of new roles and would replace city centers as hubs of exchange and commerce. Critically they are 'places of cooperative exchange' so we must assume that the many  local homeowners and small scale agricultural producers, all those families living nearby with one, two or more acres of land, would be able to market their surplus produce here.

Local 'design centers' would also display and sell their wares in these markets.

Further Reading

Should you wish to read beyond this brief introduction to Wright's Broadacre City vision the following links will prove of interest:

Revisiting Frank Lloyd Wright’s Vision for “Broadacre City”

Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Living City” Lives On: Conserving the Broadacre City Model

* 'Usonian' is a term which Wright often employs to describe his uniquely American organic, democratic style of architecture. He claims to have borrowd it from Samuel Butler's 'Erewhon'. Interestingly it has been claimed that Butler nowhere employs this term in his work.

The Gordon House, Oregon

 
Photos: 16

This is a brief photo blog about a recent visit (2014) to the Gordon House, Silverton, Oregon. The trip was organised by the Welsh Society of Oregon . The Gordon House is the only Frank Lloyd Wright site in the state and is currently managed by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy who offer 45 minute tours of the house and grounds. The Gordon House website can be found here:-  gordonhouse.org

History

From the Wikipedia :- "The house was designed in 1957 for Evelyn and Conrad Gordon, and finished in 1963 (four years after Frank Lloyd Wright's death). It was originally located near Wilsonville, Oregon, situated to take advantage of views of the adjacent Willamette River on the west side and Mount Hood to the east. After Evelyn Gordon's death in 1997, the house was sold to new owners David and Carey Smith, who wanted to tear it down to make room for a larger, more contemporary structure. The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy became involved in attempts to preserve the historic house. The "Building Conservancy" is an organization devoted to advocating for Wright buildings, and finding sites for buildings that have been put on the market. In early 2001, the Building Conservancy obtained a three-month reprieve to dismantle the Gordon House, and move it to the Oregon Garden, about 21 miles (34 km) southeast of its original location. The Conservancy accepted a proposal from the Oregon Garden Society, assisted by the City of Silverton, to take charge of moving and reinstalling the house. Dismantling began on March 9, 2001. The house was moved in four large pieces, with the upper floor, containing two bedrooms and one bath, moved as a single unit. Overall neglect required refurbishing of the structure's siding and roofing which was arranged by grants from the Architecture Foundation of Oregon and the Oregon Cultural Trust. A new foundation replicating the original was constructed. The house opened one year later as the only publicly accessible Frank Lloyd Wright home in the Pacific Northwest."

Many of Americymru’s audience will recognise the name Gwenno Dafydd. For several years Gwenno has been Americymru’s ‘Global Saint David Day Ambassador’ in recognition of all the voluntary work she has done over the last fifteen years and more in developing and instigating new Saint David’s Day traditions in Wales and further afield.

Traditions such as an anthem for Saint David’s Day: Bilingual words: Gwenno Dafydd. Music: Heulwen Thomas - Which can be bought here: Tycerddshop three County Banners: Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Montgomeryshire, parades and school banners - the first of which is now firmly ensconced in San Ffagan - Wales’s National Museum of History. 

You may also have read on Americymu about the Celtic Cousin trilogy of songs and films promoting Scottish and Welsh Independence instigated, directed and co-written by Gwenno (Bilingual words: Gwenno Dafydd. Music: Katherine Cole) Further information here: Youtube

Gwenno is now launching a new record ‘label’ which will enable people to buy some of the tracks from the various projects she has been working on over the last few years. This record label is in fact only a label in name so that songs can be launched onto digital platforms such as Itunes. ‘I wanted to have a name that could be easily said by non-Welsh speakers and as ‘Coctel’ suggests a combination of ingredients which can be put together to create an exciting and intoxicating outcome, ‘Coctel’ seemed to the ideal name’ said Gwenno.

Katherine Cole and Gwenno have been collaborating for the last six years or so on several song-writing projects. One of these songs ‘Behind a tiny window and it’s Welsh version ‘Tu ol i ffenest fychan’ will be the first song to appear on ‘Coctel. These two songs were launched on the 13 ^th of December in time for Christmas.

During the ‘covid crisis’, that has impacted our lives over the last nearly two years, the ways that we now communicate with our nearest and dearest has been transformed. Most of us have had to learn how to communicate through the ‘tiny windows’ of our computers – either through Zoom, Skype or Facetime as opposed to the ‘tiny windows’ we would have peeped through in the past before entering our loved one’s homes. There is no time more important for families than Christmas and in this song we count our blessings that we have at least the ‘tiny windows’ of our computers to bring us closer to our loved ones and hope that ‘this too will pass’.

Both versions have been recorded by an exceptionally talented young singer, Jodi Bird. The former Ysgol Bro Morgannwg pupil w as named Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod’s ‘International Voice of Musical Theatre’ for 2019. She was also in the semi-final of ‘Britain’s got Talent’ and on the stage of Wales’s Millenium Centre.

Some of the other songs which will be released before long by ‘Coctel’ will be the Celtic Cousins trilogy, the Saint David’s Day Anthem, a song about the tragedy in Aberfan and a song about the second home crisis in Wales.

Both Katherine and Gwenno have separate creative projects – Gwenno has a one woman show about the French singer Edith Piaf (‘Passionate about Piaf’ which had a lot of success in the West End before the pandemic) and Katherine with musicals ‘I Merlin’ (Paget Rooms and Weston Studio, Wales’s Millenium Centre) & Rhiannon and these also will be available to be bought on the label.

All tracks will be available here: https://orcd.co/behindatinywindow

Or on itunes here:

https://music.apple.com/gb/album/behind-a-tiny-window-single/1599732888

With just a few weeks to go until the end of 2021, the mighty  Pigeon Wigs  are closing it off in classic Pigeon Wigs style by releasing their monstrous B-side  The Way You Do.

The Way You D o was written hastily amidst the days-old wreckage of a break up, with lyrics heavily inspired by the self-criticism and the guilt that followed. 

Using this song as a confessional, an emotional outlet (like all good songs),  The Way You Do  speaks of a very visceral point in lead singer, Harry's, life. "It was cathartic to get out. I may look back at the situation all slightly differently now, but I would never change the lyrics because they were my feelings at that point in time" explains Harry.

The Way You   Do  is a rip-roaring release layered with that signature Pigeon Wigs vocal that people have already come to love, fuzzy guitar, huge choruses, and a hook that you just can't leave alone. 

So far, Pigeon Wigs have already gained support from the likes of Adam Walton and Bethan Elfyn of BBC Radio Wales, with Adam labelling their debut as "Sexual and somewhat primal". Pigeon Wigs also featured as 'This Is The Music's' band of the week. 

Pigeon Wigs are a 6-piece rock ’n’ roll band newly sprung from Cardiff’s fertile soil. Formed from the writing partnership of Harry Franklin-Williams & Louis Jugessur, their music ranges from the bombastic and unrelenting to the sombre and fragile, indulging whatever genre best suits their aims while maintaining a through line that one can only describe as Pigeon Wigs.
 

Want to see Pigeon Wigs live?

They're playing at Cardiff's Clwb Ifor Bach on December 18th for  Clwb Music's Festive Bake. 

Get Clwb Music's Festive Bake tickets here

It's already been a whirlwind week since  AhGeeBe  released his debut single  Cocoona  on Clwb Music.

Cocoona  gained early support from the legendary  Huw Stephens at BBC 6 Music  and Adam Walton at BBC Radio Wales. It was then chosen again a week later for a spin on  BBC Introducing Wales with Adam Walton  as he compared AhGeeBe's songwriting and lyricism to that of the legendary George Harrison. 

AhGeeBe has enjoyed a chat with  BBC Radio Cymru's Georgia Ruth  and features across other BBC Radio Wales shows including spins from new music champion  Bethan Elfyn . 

Part recorded by Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard's lead singer, lyricist and guitarist Tom Rees and part self-recorded, Cocoona tells an uplifting story, encapsulating the overwhelming, soaring feeling of freedom felt by everyone as lockdown eased, the feeling that everyone was emerging from their cocoons flying around seeing the world again with fresh excitement and joy. 

"This first single  Cocoona  was written during lockdown number 1, when we weren’t allowed to leave the house apart from to exercise or go to B&Q for the 10th time that week. I got really into online shopping thanks to very well placed ad campaigns for waterproof coats and colourful guitar cables. Got quite heavily into YouTube review videos too. Some great content providers out there." explains AhGeeBe.

"This song was finished as we were allowed back out again, and it’s a sort of boogy-woogy celebration of being allowed to run around the streets again without a particular reason."

AhGeeBe honed his craft in the South Wales quarry village of Creigiau, spending his time chiselling and sculpting away at the piano and guitar from an early age.

Describing his sound as “somewhere between old-time country and 60’s cop show theme tunes", AhGeeBe is the shining result of years of work for musicians across the globe, demoing, recording, and songwriting.

Sheffield bilingual psych/post-punk four-piece Sister Wives have teamed up with Carmarthenshire’s psych duo Tacsidermi for an exciting musical union. The Double A single 'O Fy Nghof' / 'A Oes Heddwch' will be released on limited edition lathe-cut vinyl on 17th December via Libertino Records, and is out now digitally.

Both bands wrote the musical backbone to a song each independently, which was then sent over and Tacsidermi and Sister Wives added lyrics and melody to the other's compositions, a truly collaborative project.

"O Fy Nghof" and "A Oes Heddwch" musically reflect the darker subject matter of depression and the quest for peace as life ebbs away. Listen to the swirling "A Oes Heddwch" and darker "O Fy Nghof" below...

 Both bands go into detail about the lyrics they provided for each song...

Tacsidermi on "A Oes Heddwch":

“The song is about facing an armageddon and the panic of not knowing what to do in your final hours. There's no use hiding from the inevitable. There's no use trying to find peace. You must deal with the consequences of your actions.”

“The song is about being in a deep depression and the helplessness which is felt in that moment. This does eventually come to an end - the heaviness lifts. However, this is often cyclical and happens again, over time. This leaves us stuck in a constant cycle, which can be hard to accept.”  

Tacsidermi are Gwenllian Anthony from the Welsh Music Prize winning band Adwaith and multi instrumentalist Matthew Kilgariff, who craft sublime, evocative Balearic pop-infused psych. Tacsidermi will be returning to the studio before the new year to finish work on their eagerly anticipated debut EP out in January 2021.

Sister Wives are a Sheffield-based female four-piece whose sound encompasses prog-flecked psychedelia and post-punk. They recently played at Green Man, Sensoria, and Sŵn Festivals, with more dates in Sheffield and Manchester this winter (dates below). New music is coming soon.

'O Fy Nghof / A Oes Heddwch' is out now digitally and on limited lathe-cut vinyl on 17th December.