Arthur Erickson

“Inspiration in Science may have to do with ideas, but not in Art. In art it is in the senses that are instinctively responsive to the medium of expression.”

“The Achilles Heel of the Americas was the lack of cultural confidence typical of new settlers.”

“We are guilty for sending teams into foreign countries to advise them how to be like us.”

“The delusion of entertainment is devoid of meaning. It may amuse us for a bit, but after the initial hit we are left with the dark feeling of desolation.”

“Ancient Rome was as confident of the immutability of its world and the continual expansion and improvement of the human lot as we are today.”

“In those countries with centuries of a craft tradition behind their building methods, techniques are tightly coordinated under the direction of the architect.”

“The Renaissance is studded by the names of the artists and architects, with their creations recorded as great historical events.”

“Profit and bottom line, the contemporary mantra, eliminates the very source of architectural expression.”

“Great buildings that move the spirit have always been rare. In every case they are unique, poetic, products of the heart.”

“Space has always been the spiritual dimension of architecture. It is not the physical statement of the structure so much as what it contains that moves us.”

“Whenever we witness art in a building, we are aware of an energy contained by it.”

“With production alone as the goal, industry in North America was dominated by the assembly line, standardization for mass consumption.”

“The innovative spirit was America's strongest attribute, transforming everything into a brave new world, but there lingered an insecurity about the arts.”

“Tahiti has been spoiled for many years, but Bali is one of the few cultures with origins in one of the great ancient cultures which is still alive.”

“Bankers cannot afford to be concerned with only the economic aspects of projects. There may be serious implications on the natural environment, the urban environment, on human culture.”

“Roman civilization had achieved, within the bounds of its technology, relatively as great a mastery of time and space as we have achieved today.”

“Builders eventually took advantage of the look of modernism to build cheaply and carelessly.”

“I plead for conservation of human culture, which is much more fragile than nature herself. We needn't destroy other cultures with the force of our own.”

“Modernism released us from the constraints of everything that had gone before with a euphoric sense of freedom.”

“We are stymied by regulations, limited choice and the threat of litigation. Neither consultants nor industry itself provide research which takes architecture forward.”