The first gesture of an architect is to draw a perimeter; in other words, to separate the microclimate from the macro space outside. This in itself is a sacred act. Architecture in itself conveys this idea of limiting space. It's a limit between the finite and the infinite. From this point of view, all architecture is sacred.
Interpretation
Architecture defines and limits spaces, creating a sacred boundary between different environments.
Mario Botta's quote reflects on the fundamental act of architecture as one that defines boundaries, separating distinct areas and creating spaces that are sacred. By emphasizing the importance of this separation, he highlights how architecture not only serves a functional purpose but also embodies a deeper philosophical understanding of finite and infinite spaces, suggesting that the act of defining space is an essential and revered aspect of architectural practice.
In practice
In a presentation about sustainable architecture, this quote can emphasize the importance of creating meaningful spaces.
Beginning a novel is always hard. It feels like going nowhere. I always have to write at least 100 pages that go into the trashcan before it finally begins to work. It's discouraging, but necessary to write those pages. I try to consider them pages -100 to zero of the novel.
Writing is a lonely job. Even if a writer socializes regularly, when he gets down to the real business of his life, it is he and his type writer or word processor. No one else is or can be involved in the matter.
Little events, ordinary things, smashed and reconstituted. Suddenly, they become the bleached bones of a story.
The only writers who have any peace are the ones who don't write. And there are some like that. They wallow in a sea of possibilities. To express a thought, you first have to limit it, and that means kill it. Every word I speak robs me of a thousand others, and every line I write means giving up another.
The aim of all commentary on art now should be to make works of art - and, by analogy, our own experience - more, rather than less, real to us. The function of criticism should be to show how it is what it is, even that it is what it is, rather than to show what it means.
An artist must believe in himself - Possibly not so passionately as Lawrence - but passionately. Your belief is contagious. Others say - He is vain - but they are affected.
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