I C A R C H 

A NEW HEADQUARTERS FOR N.R.A. - U.S.A.

N.R.A. - National Rifles Association.

A powerful "lobbying" institution... one that influences who "the most powerful man in the world" is...

"Good citizen," no doubt, in this enlightened institution...

"Powerful" men...

What does the picture above with the Headquarters of NRA in Virginia tell us...? It is a typical "office building," as conceived in the United States... the overall demagogy of glass and the inevitable lack of character.

In some ways, a frightening building, frightening because it says nothing, it is mute. It is a mute building, with no story to tell... and certainly no song to sing.

Nor does it mourn either, as the parents of the poor children who were shot to death just days ago in Connecticut did and certainly still do and will do.

The placidly happy or happily placid facade of the NRA Headquarters remains the same... but the hearts of those who saw their very young children die, won't!

Those hearts will never be consoled.

What it is amazing is that these "good citizen" (in all probability also quite good and devoted Christians) see no problem at all with guns and possessing guns... so much so that one's suggestion was that the problems in Connecticut and earlier elsewhere were not because there were / are too many guns in the world, but not enough... that the tragedy that just happened could have been avoided, if only teachers were allowed to carry guns...!?!

Gandhi... where are you...?!?

Jesus... where are you...?!?

But these "powerful men" and "good citizen" would not have it.

It is not the gun that is the problem, it is the hand that uses it.

Yeah... what about having ANY kind of hand, but no guns...?!? Would this tragedy have happened...?

We doubt it.

So since we still believe, maybe foolishly, that architecture can change life (or at least try to), we invite you to envision A NEW HEADQUARTERS FOR N.R.A.

One that would tell the truth... about the culture of violence in the United States.

One that, not accidentally, is also promoted, copiously, in the "media"... and not to mention here Hollywood would be a mistake. We believe that in its sensationalism and shallowness, not to speak about its frequently dubious morality (since its main motivation was and is, let’s be honest, money), Hollywood is a pathology. Inasmuch as the ideology of having more guns in this sad world is…!!!

So maybe you would feel like designing A Building With a Tumor or A Building With a Gangrene... as a possible Headquarters for our glorious N.R.A. Or you could investigate how to change "the looks" of the existing building in such a way that truth would be revealed... (an ad-hoc idea, for example, one between many: to project, at night, the portraits of the murdered children, on the placid facade of the building)...

But so much more can be done and should be done.

We will be happy to publish all the works received.

And very sad that we arrived here.

Thank you,

ICARCH Gallery