KATARXIS

Tradition and Modernity

Tradition and Modernity are not contradictory or exclusive. They are merely two different classes of things which can however interact beneficially. Tradition is still very often considered as a "thing of the past" without any contemporary legitimacy, and modernity is often mistakingly considered as modernism. The following pages discuss the relevance and meaning of tradition in its contemporary situation. The "contemporary", the "modern" and the "traditional" are defined in a context of practice of "virtue" and in the perspective of the "good life", based on the potentials of our time, and the selected wisdom of past times.

Pavilion by Duncan McCallum McRoberts

" Similar to the words that represent the irrefragable permanence of general ideas and concepts such as: time, history, progress, spirituality, love, culture or evolution-one should be reminded that the word "tradition" or "traditional" is unlikely to ever be replaced in human existence by another word to represent its universality, or its requisite conceptual ontological status, as the heritage of the continued value or evolved existence of things. It is veritable to say that, -tradition will always be. " Duncan McCallum McRoberts

Marsham Street Competition in London. Selected entry by Mulhern&Steil, Luxembourg The competition brief asked for a mixed urban, traditional reconstruction on the site of an existing office highrise complex. The fact that among the 10 selected entries most were signed by new classical and traditional architects created an uproar amongst the British modernist establishment.

" Tradition by definition, is the inherited and complex evolution of things cultural, social, conventional, and institutional. The question regarding it is: which traditions live and change, and which do not." "Let us use our intelligence, together, to define our use and understanding of the word tradition, and once again, to proceed using it proudly." Duncan McCallum McRoberts

Belvedere Village, Ascot (England), by Demetri Porphyrios Associates (1989) " The Belvedere village situated on the fort Belvedere estate comprises a number of cottages, farm buildings and stables. It is set in a beautiful Surrey landscape close to Ascot. The village designed as a hamlet, unfolds around three main spaces: the farm court with it's main Barn, the residential court and the stable yard.... The buildings constructed in local brick, are in a constant dialogue with each other so that, together with the landscape, they create a sense of place establishing open vistas, perspective views or dramatic closures." Demetri Porphyrios

Magdalen College, Oxford, England by Demetri Porphyrios and Associates

" By Tradition I do not mean the docile transmission of some dead deposit, but rather the living repetition that manages to suggest a fresh truth. There is no such thing as a tradition that exists of its own accord. Instead, and always, tradition has to be embraced and cultivated." Demetri Porphyrios

The Effects of Good Stewardship in the City and Country Painting by Jason Montgomery

MODERNITY 1. of or pertaining to present and recent time; not ancient or remote: modern city life. 2. characteristic of present and recent time; contemporary; not antiquated or obsolete: modern viewpoints. 3. of or pertaining to the historical period following the Middle Ages: modern European history. 4. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of contemporary styles of art, literature, music, etc., that reject traditionally accepted or sanctioned forms and emphasize individual experimentation and sensibility. 5. ( initial capital letter ) new ( def. 12 ) .

modernity
1. the quality of being modern. 2. something modern.
MODERNISM

modern character, tendencies, or values; adherence to or sympathy with what is modern. 2. a modern usage or characteristic. 3. ( initial capital letter ) Theology . a. the movement in Roman Catholic thought that sought to interpret the teachings of the Church in the light of philosophic and scientific conceptions prevalent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: condemned by Pope Pius X in 1907. b. the liberal theological tendency in Protestantism in the 20th century. 4. ( sometimes initial capital letter ) a deliberate philosophical and practical estrangement or divergence from the past in the arts and literature occurring especially in the course of the 20th century and taking form in any of various innovative movements and styles.

TRADITION

1. the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice: a story that has come down to us by popular tradition. 2. something that is handed down: the traditions of the Eskimos. 3. a long-established or inherited way of thinking or acting: The rebellious students wanted to break with tradition. 4. a continuing pattern of culture beliefs or practices. 5. a customary or characteristic method or manner: The winner took a victory lap in the usual track tradition.

1. Going for Tapas in spain

Every tourist who comes to Spain wants to try tapas, one of the most famous of Spanish traditions. But many don't understand it. A 'tapa' is not a type of food, it's a way of eating it. Tapas are small portions, but they can be of anything. And to 'go for tapas' (tapear in Spanish) does not mean ordering a lot of dishes in one restaurant (though, of course, you can), but to barhop, eating a different tapa in each bar.