Arkitektnytt

I have become increasingly preoccupied with the notion that we are, particularly in these terrible days in the United States, seriously out of touch with reality and with its truth. You keep after them, you preach about them and then every once in a while you come upon them. When you do, I think you recognize them by a certain quality of resistance. Annika was a wonder when she came to us, mature, alert, prepared, but with a definite skeptical sidelong orneriness. She frankly wasn’t sure we were up to it. What saved us, what caused her to give us the benefit of the doubt, was that she wasn’t quite sure yet what it was supposed to be.

Then, as it seems always to do when you have the privilege of watching it and cheering it on, the truth got to work. She increasingly fell in with that other wonder we had the privilege of fostering, Justin, and things began to ease and flow. The point of the truth, the point of loving, I think, is what it helps us make for the benefit of everyone. The thing I particularly watched her make was sublime: it was her thesis, the Thinktanker, a Very Large Crude Carrier made into a driving mobile global argument for the environment. How brilliant! How Norwegian! And what a vindication of an admiring teacher’s fondest dreams, insight, imagination, the completely unexpected, all beautifully drawn.

Annika succeeded enormously. I was delighted after just a little time to realize how appropriate it was that the King of Norway then actually got to meet her. Justin, she and I continued to talk thereafter mostly on the subway platform about truth and beauty, notably, their ambitious plans for the drop-in toilet. They were off, it was beautiful to behold and we were all transformed by them. We were in touch with everything that mattered.

Justin asked me to say these words because he thought, kind friend, I might not break down. Before I do, just let me send all my love to him and this last time to Annika.