In Making Dystopia, distinguished architectural historian James
Stevens Curl tells the story of the advent of architectural
Modernism in the aftermath of the First World War, its
protagonists, and its astonishing, almost global acceptance after
1945. He argues forcefully that the triumph of architectural
Modernism in the second half of the twentieth century led to
massive destruction, the creation of alien urban landscapes, and a
huge waste of resources. Moreover, the coming of Modernism was not
an inevitable, seamless evolution, as many have insisted, but a
massive, unparalled disruption that demanded a clean slate and the
elimination of all ornament, decoration, and choice. Tracing the
effects of the Modernist revolution in architecture to the present,
Stevens Curl argues that, with each passing year, so-called
'iconic' architecture by supposed 'star' architects has become more
and more bizarre, unsettling, and expensive, ignoring established
contexts and proving to be stratospherically remote from the
aspirations and needs of humanity. In the elite world of
contemporary architecture, form increasingly follows finance, and
in a society in which the 'haves' have more and more, and the
'have-nots' are ever more marginalized, he warns that contemporary
architecture continues to stack up huge potential problems for the
future, as housing costs spiral out of control, resources are
squandered on architectural bling, and society fractures. This
courageous, passionate, deeply researched, and profoundly argued
book should be read by everyone concerned with what is around us.
Its combative critique of the entire Modernist architectural
project and its apologists will be highly controversial to many.
But it contains salutary warnings that we ignore at our peril. And
it asks awkward questions to which answers are long overdue.
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