| |
Commodification and Spectacle in Architecture,
edited by William S. Saunders.
Certainly living needs,
as opposed to desires, demand to be met but surely not in
such a way as to ruin the world for generations yet unborn.
Thus ends Kenneth Frampton's
introduction to a collection of essays previously published
in Harvard
Design Magazine. But while Frampton clearly expresses
the need to balance capitalism with sustainable foresight,
it's a point of view that's altogether missing from an otherwise
strong collection of critical writing. The targets of the
ten essays range from the obvious (Las Vegas, Michael
Graves @ Target) to the less so (a villa by OMA). Not
surprisingly it is Rem Koolhaas who makes the most appearances,
his Harvard
Guide to Shopping acting as a sort of manifesto for
architecture and capitalism, though here we find more criticism
than regurgitation of his ideas. In addition to the range
of subjects, there is a range of stances towards architecture
and commodity, some authors embracing it (none more than
Kevin Ervin Kelley, partner in an "an atypical design
firm with a focus on leveraging consumer perceptions")
but more often they question the validity of architecture
when it exists only as a means for spending and creating
wealth.
This reader is the first of an anticipated
three (Sprawl and Suburbia and Urban Planning
Today forthcoming).
. . or . .  |
