Utopia Reimagined as Method: From Archigram to Afrofuturism in Designboom's Editorial Chapter
Designboom's exhibit 'Utopia Then and Now' explores the transformation of utopian concepts within architecture, art, and design. It highlights historical movements such as Archigram, whose co-founder Sir Peter Cook considers utopia to be 'boring and dangerous.' Ettore Sottsass's 1972 work 'Il Pianeta come Festival' imagined a communal existence, while Constant Nieuwenhuys's 'New Babylon' envisioned a society liberated by automation. Superstudio's 1969 piece 'Continuous Monument' critiqued overarching systems. Modern contributions include Espacio Común's Floating Stage for MuyunaFest, sound sculptures by Yuri Suzuki, and urban innovations by Theaster Gates. Judy Chicago advocates for feminist utopias, and Jane Jacobs's insights enhance urban liveliness. The chapter concludes with the notion that utopia represents a 'creative impulse.'
Key facts
- Designboom's editorial chapter 'Utopia Then and Now' redefines utopia as a method rather than a destination.
- Sir Peter Cook, co-founder of Archigram, rejects utopia as 'static perfection,' favoring optimism and drawing.
- Ettore Sottsass's 1972 work 'Il Pianeta come Festival' imagines a planet organized by collective life.
- Superstudio's 1969 'Continuous Monument' used architectural satire to question totalizing systems.
- Espacio Común Association built a Floating Stage for MuyunaFest in the Peruvian Amazon with local fishers.
- Theaster Gates's Rebuild Foundation reimagines urban ruins, stating 'utopian buildings already exist.'
- Olalekan Jeyifous employs Afrofuturist aesthetics to create 'parallel presents' challenging Western-centric futures.
- Charles Jencks's Garden of Cosmic Speculation translates science into shared experience as part of utopian practice.
Entities
Artists
- Sir Peter Cook
- Ettore Sottsass
- Constant Nieuwenhuys
- Superstudio
- Yuri Suzuki
- Theaster Gates
- Judy Chicago
- Karolina Wiktor
- Marjetica Potrč
- Jane Jacobs
- Izaskun Chinchilla
- Olalekan Jeyifous
- Tsuyoshi Tane
- Kimsooja
- Lachlan Turczan
- Charles Jencks
- Benoit Maubrey
- Weronika Gęsicka
- Abeer Seikaly
- Valerian Blos
Institutions
- Archigram
- Espacio Común Association
- Assemble
- Rebuild Foundation
- Superflux
- Ensamble Studio
- Enter Projects Asia
- MAXXI
- Pinault Collection
- designboom
Locations
- Peruvian Amazon
- Peru
- New York
- United States
- Warsaw
- Poland
- Chicago
- Spain
- Thailand