#proposition2

Myths and symbols serve as powerful representations of culture— shared expressions of meaning that evolve across time and place. Long before globalization, separate civilizations developed similar archetypes—deities of the sky, creation myths, sacred centers— independent variations on common human concerns. Over time, these symbols undergo refinement, adaptation, and recontextualization, yet their essence endures, appearing as something omnipresent. Like architecture, spaces seek renewal through new symbols that sustain their relevance by reconnecting with their underlying essence. This project positions itself within that continuity, proposing a design that treats myths as symbolic instruments: a way to engage, and even befriend, the commodified city. By drawing from the shared language of myth, the design redefines space as more than product—recasting it as a site where collective imagination finds form.

Behind the drive toward global sameness, we can still find potential within the fictions of branding—stories hidden behind symbols that reference cultural archetypes. Consider Nike, one of the giants of sport, whose name invokes Nike, the Greek goddess of victory: an obvious signal to its users, embodying aspiration and dream. Or NASA’s Apollo missions, branded after the Greek god of the sun, projecting the grandeur and ambition of their endeavor. In this, we see that shared cultural archetypes persist—collective practices and symbolic structures that manifest differently across societies yet remain recognizably human. The way brands encode their “culture” mirrors the way a city preserves its own. It is within this duality, between commodification’s homogenizing pull and the plurality of shared symbolic life, that the cultural potential of the city resides.

Apollo XIII  – Lumen Martin Winter (1970)

Apple Park  – Norman Foster, Cupertino (2024)