Theoretical MeltdownISBN: 978-0-470-99779-6
Paperback
136 pages
February 2009
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If the 20th century can be characterised by theories and
manifestoes, which emanated across every sphere of life from
politics to the fine arts, the beginning of the 21st century can be
distinguished by its very break from theory. This effective
‘theoretical meltdown’ has manifested itself in a
period of uncertainty, which can be perceived in the way
disciplines coalesce with each other and blur their parameters:
fine art becoming indistinct from advertising imagery; architecture
incorporating communication techniques; and sculpture dealing with
living spaces; while architecture reshapes fragments of the natural
environment.
- The issue topically calls the contemporary situation in architecture to account.
- Features writings by and interviews with some of the most remarkable protagonists of the debate: Ole Bouman, Ricardo Diller & Elizabeth Scofidio, Neil Leach, Bernard Tschumi and Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown.
- Acts as a barometer to architectural design, inviting 10 international critics to highlight the most relevant current work.