Obsolescence and Desire: Fashion and the Commodity Form

In North America, fashion is so finely knit in our culture, especially amongst the youth. This is why at shopping malls the stores are bombarded with the latest styles and trends. If all shopping malls were for some banal reason ever to be shut down the public would have something to say. Architecture on the other hand, holds less value in our society. Why is this? In Winnipeg, our city has invested in architecture such as the LEED qualified Mountain Equipement Co-op, the Louis Riel Bridge, and the new MTS Centre, but there still lacks a major public interest in architecture. Must we market architecture and give it a symbolic meaning for the public in order to draw interest in our ever devalued field of study? Of course, there are the well known architects such as Rem Koolhaas of Prada that dominate in the US, but I can guarantee not many youngsters in Canada have heard of the name. Maybe if architecture is filtered into the media, just like songs from less-then-famous artists are filtered into soundtracks, it too can become a growing interest in North America. Maybe then will the public be more concerned when placeless strip malls are thoughtlessly plunked into our urban landscapes, and provincial laws challenging the importance of architects in our society are accepted.