Buckminster Fuller was bad ass, as the kids say, if they still say that. He was a visionary, and the vision was to try and find new ways for people to live together more efficiently, as opposed to working towards new ways for people to lose their jobs so he could own twelve more houses.
The Biosphere is a geodesic dome he designed, originally built in 1967 for the World’s Fair in Montreal; today it is north America’s only museum dedicated to sustainability and environmental science. It is part of the Parc Jean-Drapeau, named after the former Mayor who pushed for its construction, along with the Place Des Arts, Metro system, and Olympic Stadium. He wanted to put his city on the map, so he did.
On the top floor, admiring the views across the St. Lawrence River, I struck up a conversation with a retired architect from Toronto, big Blue Jays fan, big Frank Lloyd Wright fan, who was there as part of a weeklong visit to see his brother. He’d been there several times over the years, but it never got old to him, he still marveled at the space “I’m glad it’s here,” he said.
My new friend continued, talking about how bold that was at the time, how a lot of people pushed back on Drapeau, re; the cost and controversy of his plans, but the mayor persevered. “I’m so glad he did it, because it’s here.” Pause. “Today,” he lamented, “no one pushes for great things.” He could’ve been talking about Fuller or Drapeau but I ask you, was that a get off my lawn moment or is he right? And, if so where are the men and women of vision? I know they are out there, but right now they must feel invisible.
In a positive note, I suppose some of those visionaries are featured in the Biosphere itself, where I saw exhibits on windmills, filtration skyscrapers, kinetic energy dresses, floating green space oil rigs, doughnut economics and more. There was a school group running around, making noise, and having fun, with the occasional deep dive into an interesting gadget that caught their attention. I wondered what they would take away from their visit. I thought of my son. I thought of the future.
There was a quote from Bucky, as was his nickname, on an exhibit honoring his life and the building of the Biosphere, in which he said, “Nature never fails, nature complies with its own laws. Nature is the law.”
Doug Hoekstra 