Firouz Firouz Villa 15 Speech

Thank you for inviting us Mr. Ambassador. I'm glad that we are all here in this beautiful garden this Garden by itself it's a Villa because we in Iran we name the Villa “kushk” and the Kushk is always in the garden so it's a pleasure to be really in the interpretation of the Iranian Villa.
Villa is a term we use as KaMr.an said derived from Latin is a Villa is Italian but the Greeks had it the Iranians had it. It expanse from Japan all the way to Europe and even to Egypt so it's a very international subject that Mr. Aboutalebi has chosen to really focus on and then expand on that. And as we know the Villa has been always a platform from experimental architecture that somehow redefines the way of our life.
And we talked about Italian architects I was fortunate enough to work with one not even to be his student his name was “Vittorio Giorgini” and I consider him really a man of innovation and in the country of “Villa Malaparte” he was extremely concerned with nature and his first goal was to integrate his architecture with nature and it was a time of the innovation in Europe, especially after the war and the legacy that never we have, given to the Italian architects so he was experimenting with an essential structure which in reality is a continuous surface which can be folded and create spaces and he created a house which later was called “The Whale” and it’s in Barati region of Italy and still stands one of the most innovative structures pertaining to a Villa because not only he defines the way you live in it but he defies his relation to nature and structure which is very organic so it's a for me it's one of the most important Villas that I have experienced and I admire.

The subject that for me is interesting is “How did the Villa become something that everybody wants?” and one thing a Villa has created a crisis that we are all the time expanding and building into nature and I'm wondering when would it stop? and “What is more important?” is the Villa more important as the experimental tool for architecture or it's time to decide that the environment is more important and therefore the landscape is more important and architecture should be obedient to that. So, this is a question for me each time there is designed something in Iran it’s to give more importance to in reality saving the planet rather than you know Building and building and under the critics of experiencing the Villas.
The problem we're having and how to resolve it really so to make my speech a bit short I would like to quote maybe you some of you who know him “Slavoj Žižek” philosopher and economist and psychologist, says “We cannot change the way we approach the environmental issue if we don't become radical about it because when we talk about the environment we always find solutions to justify everything, for example, we say oh this is nature friendly we consume less but this doesn't solve the problem the problem still continues to be the expansion of the human race and the destruction of our planet that we're witnessing”.
So I will end my speech by quoting him the only way that we can find and resolve the ecological crisis is to introduce a new economic order that changes the very way we produce and relate to the object of our production so in reality, he is bringing the subject of ownership and this idea that we should own everything and therefore to destroy whatever has made us become who we are and to enjoy it for example of Gardens.

Thank you very much.

 

Edited by Villa Magazine editorial
Special Issue Annual Edition 2023
Vol. 15
© All rights reserved. Villa Magazine 2015-2026
ISSN: 2981-197X (EN)
ISSN: 2981-1961 (FA)
Registration No. 74246
All images are © each office/photographer mentioned.

 

© All materials in the special issue No.15 - The Italian Villas Issue - Supported by the Italian Embassy in Tehran