Rem Koolhaas's 'Junkspace' and Hal Foster's 'Running Room' Reissued in Post-Crash Context

Originally appearing in 2001, Rem Koolhaas's 'Junkspace' critiques a world shaped by capitalism without ethics, where identity becomes junk food for the dispossessed. The essay was republished alongside Hal Foster's 'Running Room' in the 100th issue of October journal in 2002, focusing on obsolescence. Both texts have been repackaged for reexamination in a post-financial-crash world, with Foster's essay receiving revisions. Koolhaas describes a bleak landscape dominated by shopping malls that blend with cultural centers and transport hubs, creating a blur where branding is the only distinction. His writing adopts the rhythm of billboard advertising slogans, arguing that society's rejection of utilitarianism leads to immersion in arbitrariness. Foster's accessible academic style builds on Koolhaas's ideas to explore consumerism's fusion with postmodern constructed subjects in the twenty-first century. The transition between essays moves from architectural concerns to personal ones, with Foster advocating for autonomy across disciplines and individuals to find space within Koolhaas's overwhelming junk. Koolhaas's own architectural practice, OMA, constructs future economic centers in cities like Beijing and Doha, making his self-critical perspective particularly intriguing. The article was first published in May 2013.