trans 45. Dirty

Cleanliness is an obsession; dirt is a fascination. Disgust is embedded in personal and cultural systems to help us discern and navigate what could endanger our integrity as a body or society. Yet revulsion to dirtiness is more than a protective mechanism. Introducing uncleanliness in design can be revolutionary or revelatory. As architects-to-be, we are aware that our practice and its history is inherently unclean. We have disowned our masters, disavowed our teachers, distanced ourselves from our rites. But becoming too aware of all the filth produced by the profession can tempt us to impose sanitary barriers and refuse to get our hands dirty.