04 Tasks 1

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About the text

  • Was Gehry interested in offbeat architecture from the beginning of his career?
  • Why were his projects initially rejected?
  • How did he gain universal praise?
  • How do people generally feel about his creations?
  • What do his critics argue against him? Do you agree with them?

 

About you

  • Do you enjoy art?
  • What famous artists do you know? What are they famous for?
  • What art form do you prefer: architecture, painting, sculpture, drama…?
  • Do you consider yourself to be a good artist?
  • If you could become a professional artist, what would you like to be and do? Why?

 

Your turn.

A group of students is coming to your city. You have been asked to recommend a place for them to visit. This place must be relevant to their studies. You will need to provide an explanation for your tutor, saying why it is important today or how influential it has been.

03 Text 1

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Offbeat architecture

World-famous architect Frank Gehry was born in Canada in 1929 and became interested in design as a child when he used to create models out of wood and plastic for his family and friends. He later moved to California in 1947, where he started working as a lorry driver and eventually graduated from the South California School of Architecture.

He took an interest in traditional architecture for years, but began to develop a more radical approach creating buildings with abstract forms and eccentric features. This was first exemplified in his own home in Santa Monica, which has an almost unfinished, chaotic appearance.

Many of his designs were initially considered to be impracticable, so he remained a “paper architect”, until the design of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao won him international acclaim. Since then he has received important commissions for iconic buildings around the world.

One of Frank Gehry’s latest creations is the Hotel Marqués de Riscal in the Spanish wine-growing region of La Rioja. Its titanium ribbons are juxtaposed with the 19th century architecture of the original farmhouse. The locals are understandably ambivalent about it, but the truth is that many tourists are being tempted to visit a previously little-known area.

However, there are also some strong opinions against his work. His critics claim that the architect is famous for the spectacle of his buildings rather than their real architectural value and that more attention should be given to harmonising them with their natural surroundings to create a more beautiful effect.

02 Vocabulary

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  • Off-beat: eccentric, unconventional.
  • Outrageous: very strange, exceeding the limits of what is usual; surprising and shocking.
  • Stunning: strikingly impressive, especially in beauty or excellence; very pleasing.
  • State-of-the-art: the latest stage of an art, technology or science.
  • Retro: looking like or relating to styles or fashions from the past; fashionably nostalgic or old-fashioned.
  • Approach: a way of dealing with something, a way of doing or thinking about something.
  • To acclaim: to praise someone in a very strong and enthusiastic way; to shout applause.
  • Iconic: widely known, recognised and acknowledged, especially for distinctive excellence.
  • To harmonise: to cause (two or more things) to be combined or to go together in a pleasing and effective way.
  • Radical: innovative; very new and different from what is traditional and ordinary.
  • Ambivalent: arising contradictory feelings and attitudes (for example, attraction and repulsion) towards an object, person or action.
  • Festive: cheerful and exciting; suited to a celebration, festival or holiday.
  • Eye-catching: visually attractive, striking, tending to attract attention.
  • Model: a miniature representation of something, for example a plane model.
  • To juxtapose: to place things together in order to create an interesting effect or to show how they are the same or different.
  • Functional: designed for or adapted to a particular function or use.

01 Grammar

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Expressions used in conversation

There are several expressions which can be used in spoken English that will very useful in different contexts and with different functions. Here is a list of some of these expressions and some examples to show you how to use them.

– Hesitation fillers (for example, noises):

  • Errr…
  • Mmm…

– Finding time to organise your ideas

  • The thing is…
  • Let me see/Let me think…
  • That’s a good question.

A: What do you think should be done to encourage young people to be creative?

B: That’s a good question. They could organise competitions or give people the opportunity to display designs on an exhibition.

  • It’s difficult to say…
  • I mean, …
  • You know, …
  • I’ll have to think about that…

– Introducing ideas that bring contrast, surprise or something unwelcome.

  • To be honest/frank, …
  • To be honest, I’ve thought about it quite carefully and I don’t want to get involved in what I consider to be a dangerous adventure.
  • As a matter of fact, …
  • To tell you the truth, …
  • The fact is that …
  • Actually, …
  • On the contrary, …

Most of the students felt disappointed after the performance. On the contrary, their teacher was very impressed.

– Searching for a way to express something

  • How can I explain this?
  • How shall I put it?

Teachers must be rather… how shall I put it?… they must be rather strict to address the problems that arise in the classroom.

  • What I’m trying to say is that…

– Returning to the main point.

  • Anyway, …
  • As I was saying, …

….and, as I was saying, more measures should be taken to help students achieve better results this year.

  • At any rate, …

– Focusing on a particular point.

  • With regards to, …

With regards to that financial report, could you give me some more specific information?

  • As for …
  • Regarding …