Epoka spektaklu. Perypetie architektury i miasta XXI wieku

by Tom Dyckhoff, Agnieszka Rasmus-Zgorzelska (Translator)

Napisana z polotem opowieść o architekturze ostatnich dziesięcioleci. Od Londynu po Dubaj dzisiejsi architekci prześcigają się w projektowaniu coraz bardziej monumentalnych, ostentacyjnych i ekstrawaganckich budynków, które radykalnie zmieniają miejski krajobraz. Ale pod wpływem globalizacji i wielkiego kapitału zmieniły się także prawa, jakimi rządzi się miejska przestrzeń – i w rezultacie to, jak wygląda nasze życie w miastach. Tom Dyckhoff, brytyjski krytyk architektury i urbanistyki, opowiada o tym wszystkim ze znawstwem, swadą i poczuciem humoru.

Gdy zejdziemy z powrotem na poziom ulicy, zostawimy The Shard, miniemy tarki do sera i korniszony i dojdziemy do ronda Old Street, które leży pół godziny drogi na północ od City, to natkniemy się na budynek o dziwnym wyglądzie. W pierwszej chwili trudno znaleźć słowa, żeby go opisać. Bo co można powiedzieć o ogromnym bloku mieszkalnym ze stali i szkła składającym się z dwóch połączonych kul, wyglądających jak para oderwanych od reszty ciała pośladków z odciśniętą na nich kratką? Rondo Old Street nie jest piękne. Przestrzeń o tego typu trudnej urodzie agenci nieruchomości nazywają ‘miejscem z charakterem’.

Książka Dyckhoffa pozwala z dystansem spojrzeć na to, co nazywane bywa „architekturą dla jednego procenta”.

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Keen Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

“An architecture critic is not much more than a sightseer. We go around as if on holiday, and look at the sights. We take photos. We write in our journals. We might be expected to form a critical opinion, but we are basically professional tourists.”

“To really understand architecture today, therefore, you must follow the money.”

“In 1977, the gap between the rich and the poor was smaller than it had ever been, and ever would be again. The working day had shortened, and there were more paid holidays than ever before.”

But of course Margaret Thatcher would soon have quite a lot to say about all that.

“Trace the money behind any building and at least a fraction is bound to be dirty. The question is what kind of dirt are you comfortable with? Where do you draw the line?”

“Architects are not habitually taught ethics and politics when they train.”

Dyckhoff is a name I think I’ve come across periodically before through some of his articles back in the day, but it was really good to engage with his longer and more absorbing work and this was real quality from start to finish. His style and approach is very much along the lines of some of those other relatable and insightful contemporary British architectural critics, like Hatherley, Moore, Sudjic and Meades. You always feel like you’re learning something, but never feel like you are being dumbed down or bored.

[Kacper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal book on the recent history of architecture and urbanism. Why the architecture has become so flashy, what drove the phenomenon of starchitects and why Dubai is so bad. Well structured, beautiful language and great comparisons.

"Architecture is dematerialising. It is not quite as ethereal as the pixels on your computer screen, but give it time. What a building looks like, its skin, its style, has become more important than ever. Instead of experiencing our being in the world, we behold it from outside as spectators of images projected on the surface of the retina."

"Barcelona and Bilbao propped up their ‘creative’ urban renaissance with decades of state planning, infrastructure, rent controls, and– important, this– invested not only in international iconic architecture to get them noticed by tourists, but architecture and culture thoroughly rooted in place, in their citizens."

"The so-called Bilbao Effect – when a single, highly visible building and its strategic placement in the urban fabric exerts a transformative effect on that city’s economy and perceived status – has become an accepted truism for how cities can put themselves on the map. No less than a triumphal arch, a trophy building of this kind, sited correctly by a skilled architect or planner, seems to change everything. And it’s much cheaper to write a big check for a big building than to actually change the world. "

"The age of spectacle– and the free market that drives it– is still with us today. Though the free market in the gentrified city is hardly free, just open to the highest bidder. The right to the city has been replaced by the right to buy it."

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

My interest in architecture began as a kid when my mother, the owner of a property management company, would take me around to the buildings she managed, where I'd watch her give them the white glove test and point out noteworthy features. But while I've always taken note of buildings in my environment and have been known to travel far afield to experience an interesting one in person, I went on to study journalism and anthropology at George Mason University and Cambridge University, respectively. Which is why I'm now the struggling artist you see before you today! Ha. But enough about me...

I "discovered" British architectural historian Tom Dyckhoff while binge-watching "The Great Interior Design Challenge" on Netflix. I couldn't help but notice Dyckhoff had a way with words so I found him on Twitter and eventually became curious enough to pick up his recent book, 'The Age of Spectacle.'

First off, I'd recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in architecture. While it is Brit-centric in parts (which didn't bother me since I used to live in England) the information presented here is (probably) relevant and applicable to many Western cities.

'The Age of Spectacle' is about the recent evolution of architecture, from the industrial era through post WWII struggles, through economic boom and busts up to its current point where we are witnessing more flashier- and often taller - structures being built then ever before.

As architects compete on the world stage to create icons that will be reduced to pixels on Instagram, what is their intention? To rejuvenate decaying industrial towns, as Gehry's Guggenheim did for Bilbao? Or is this a trend with no deep, philosophical root, rather just capitalism run amok, runaway consumerism? Will architects of the future be more concerned with appearances - the form of a building - rather than its function? As buildings get "smarter" as a result of technology will they lose their humanity?

Dyckhoff explores these and other questions by laying a foundation with some recent architectural history, some urban planning, and profiles on some of the world's best known architects, such as Daniel Libeskind (my 1st thought after Googling images of Libeskind's buildings, "does he not like birds?") and Zaha Hadid (how is it I had never heard of her until now?!).

I'm so very glad that 'The Age of Spectacle' was the first book on architecture I've ever read, as it was thoroughly enjoyable. Dyckhoff's prose is personable and witty, visual and lively. In the wrong hands, this could have been a real yawner of a tome but Dyckhoff kept me interested and amused the entire time. He's successfully piqued my architectural curiosity and I'm going off in search of more.

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a mix of London's urban, sociological and architectural history (and a bit of the US),as well as professional biographies of some architects. It is rather confusing at some points when it tries to talk about theory. And it has an anti-business bias. But offers some good stories about what architecture meant and means. The main point is to understand iconic architecture, but the book has this feeling that is a bunch of different articles that someone merged together and tried to make sense of. The parts I enjoyed most were the brief histories of urbanism and architecture (entangled in all the rest of the text) and the author's explanation about the feeling conveyed by certain buildings. And, of course, the fact that every single architect that he mentions to has deep psychological problems.

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes its hard to gauge how a non-fiction book makes you feel. This book displays the author's love for architecture through the vivid nature and tone of his prose. But, it also uncovers the derivative nature of construction and design in the 21st century (the post-post-structuralist times of internet-era capitalism). Its hard to not come away from reading this somewhat nihilistic about the free markets' effects on art. However, its engaged academic and artistic paradigm means that you are certain to have improved your analytic toolbox during the process of reading. Overall a thoroughly thought-provoking read.

[Xvmichal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ciekawa książka ukazującą historię XX wiecznej architektury z ciekawej perspektywy.
Znowu niebanalnie o architekturze pisze geograf.

Kolejna książka, gdzie w tle, złym charakterem okazuje się kapitalizm.

[เนติวิทย์ โชติภัทร์ไพศาล · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit too long and repetitive, but surely a great and entertaining book on the rise and fall of iconic architecture and political economy behind it.

[Karol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dyckhoff has admitted that this book has been written on the canvas of his journalistic output over the years and in my opinion it's working to its disadvantage. I'd rather have him dive deeper into one of the topics covered: the profiles of starchitects, investigation of the economic and theoretical shifts that define the role of architecture or focusing on sociological investigation of human consequences these shifts might have. If he did that, i think the larger point of the book would become clearer.