Starting with the Universe .

I have come across the work of Buckminster Fuller in the past, in various readings & exhibitions. So, before I visited Starting With The Universe at the Whitney, I was superficially familiar with his overall body of work. But my Fuller knowledge prior to this exhibit was still lacking some general understanding of his life & eccentricity; I craved something, a movie, a course, to fill this gap.

Visiting the Whitney gave me a much clearer picture of Fuller as a man - his motivations, his vision, his personality. The exhibit portrays his multi-disciplinary approach towards architecture, science, & environmentalism. It illustrates Fuller's oeuvre as a total vision: the idea of a greener, happier, more efficient world. This vision was the motivating force behind his comprehensive efforts in design & technology - he believed he had a debt to God.

This exhibit left me torn about Fuller's career. Was he a success or a failure? Was he born in the wrong decade? After realizing how much of a visionary he was, it is disconcerting to learn that many of his projects were commercial failures & that some people consider his projects to be too utopian & unrealistic. Nonetheless, Fuller did eventually achieve a cult-like following towards the end of his career & the geodesic dome, his most popular idea, has had a notable impact in architecture.

Despite being dead for 25 years, Fuller & his ideas have not lost their relevance. Current environmental issues beg for a more economical use of resources, the "more with less" of Fuller-like thinking. I am grateful that the Whitney has decided to hold this retrospective to remind its visitors of Fuller's work. It is also great that there are educational events to promote Fuller's ideas in conjunction with the exhibit, such as the Dymaxion Study Center at the Center for Architecture.