Hey @wrathofgnon there's a conversation about tradition I've been meaning to have for some time. Including @LeonKrier @duodickinson @createstreets @CharlestonArchi @THICCtorianChad & @ErikBootsma. Please feel free to add others who might add insight. Close to out of 280.

Here are the core questions, and I wish @NewTownAdvisor were on Twitter more because he'd have excellent insight as well: Is the canon closed? Is tradition a process, or a catalog of things known? Is the best tradition can hope for a series of revivals, or can there be more?

@wrathofgnon most know that I've long been an advocate of living traditions, because it's obvious that tradition has evolved from ancient times until about a century ago, when Modernism turned it into a series of little revolutions instead of evolution.

@wrathofgnon I believe that the roughly century-long absence of living traditions has blinded many to the proposition that the only way to achieve anything traditional is to revive an old tradition. And in doing so, they miss the power of traditions to live and adapt to now.

@wrathofgnon it is more important now than at any other recent time to harness the power of true tradition, because it's the original crowd-sourcing that taps into the life experience, talents, and insights of many minds. Read with this thought and it opens many doors.

@wrathofgnon one thing I appreciate about your posts is that most of them tend to say not just what, but also why. "We do this because..." as I've said for 15 years. If you open up the rationale of a pattern to everyone, so they know why we do what we do, many minds can think.

@wrathofgnon this is why I regularly say things that annoy many who might expect traditional revival from me rather than true tradition. But I'll carry on because I believe true tradition is one of humanity's best ways to make a weak thing stronger, and an imperfect thing better.

@wrathofgnon when I write a pattern book on the architecture of a place like the Bahamas book I start with the most recent things proven to be useful & lovable. The most recent tradition, in other words. But I empower it to grow with "we do this because.." https://mouz.one/ALTBahamasBook2 

@wrathofgnon so it is always my hope that the architecture will take on a life of its own and grow up to be something we never expected in the beginning, like our children tend to do. That's perfectly, right, natural, and organic. Nature's way. Or as your username might imply...

@wrathofgnon as a result, when I see patterns using materials available now in a human-based way, I encourage them. Even if such details were never seen before 1920. I don't know what will take on a life of its own, but see hope in things based on humanity.

@wrathofgnon with that said, there are many fake-outs now put out by the marketing machine of the Industrial Construction Complex. I doubtless will be fooled by some of them; I'm human. But I will encourage things where I see hope, realizing full well they won't all pan out.

End of rant for now; if you're in Japan right now, you might not see this for awhile. In any case, I'd appreciate your insights.