{"id":6761,"date":"2013-02-05T21:23:19","date_gmt":"2013-02-06T01:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/evetushnet\/?p=6761"},"modified":"2013-02-05T21:23:19","modified_gmt":"2013-02-06T01:23:19","slug":"building-blocs-an-exhibit-at-the-intersection-of-politics-art-and-urban-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/evetushnet\/2013\/02\/building-blocs-an-exhibit-at-the-intersection-of-politics-art-and-urban-design.html","title":{"rendered":"“Building Blocs: An exhibit at the intersection of politics, art, and urban design”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

My review of a MoMA show, in the Weekly Standard<\/em>:<\/p>\n

The phrase \u201cpolitical architecture\u201d evokes the idea of architecture for and by politicians: a blank-faced Ministry of Truth; a giant Mussolini head on a wedding cake; or just the sullen civic compromises which remove anything distinctive because it might be offensive. And \u201carchitecture for the people\u201d has mostly meant architecture imposed on the people, with the government as landlord. You\u2019ll live in my future and you\u2019ll like it!<\/p>\n

This show at the Museum of Modern Art is an attempt to acknowledge, but get beyond, these criticisms. It opens with a critique: Gunter Rambow\u2019s poster \u201cUtopie Dynamit.\u201d A giant blockbuster building blows open, and the shards form a border of tiny portraits, presumably showing the former inhabitants of the project. They hold chalkboards with their names and short messages. As the museum\u2019s caption states:<\/p>\n

What had begun as a utopian vision ended in architecture\u2014large-scale housing projects, for instance\u2014often perceived as impersonal, formulaic, and insensitive to the needs of everyday people.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My review of a MoMA show, in the Weekly Standard: The phrase \u201cpolitical architecture\u201d evokes the idea of architecture for and by politicians: a blank-faced Ministry of Truth; a giant Mussolini head on a wedding cake; or just the sullen civic compromises which remove anything distinctive because it might be offensive. And \u201carchitecture for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1071,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[171,77,222,98,85],"class_list":["post-6761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-art","tag-abuse-of-power-comes-as-no-surprise","tag-prepare-for-life-in-capitalist-america-play-class-struggle-the-game","tag-progress-is-perverse","tag-the-little-platoons","tag-the-retro-future-is-ours-comrade"],"yoast_head":"\n"Building Blocs: An exhibit at the intersection of politics, art, and urban design"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"My review of a MoMA show, in the Weekly Standard: The phrase \u201cpolitical architecture\u201d evokes the idea of architecture for and by politicians: a\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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