Old worlds

Old worlds

I was watching the European Athletics Indoors Championships when I heard the commentators on the BBC mention the Commonwealth record. That was a word I hadn't heard for years and was struck by its colonial and imperial connotations. I know of the Commonwealth Games and I'm sure that athletes competing in them take them seriously but the records are a different thing. They refer to a view of the world that seems quite outdated. Even the geographic subdivision in continents means little nowadays with the high mobility of athletes who may train in two or more different continents every year and can easily catch a flight to hop around the globe in order to compete in various games and meetings in rapid succession.

The same seems to apply to architects, as more and more are not bounded by countries and continents in their work. The great ones in particular often get the chance to descend like demigods from some airplane to enlighten and amaze the locals with their genius. Mobility among architects seems to have its own commonwealths, networks around established names, cities and countries of acknowledged prominence. Even in our networked world that claims to offer opportunities to all, the old worlds appear to retain much of their old cultural power.