Spectacle - Hardcover

Planning And Design P.C., Rockwell Architecture; Rockwell, David; Bruce Mau Design Inc

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0714845744 ISBN 13: 9780714845746

Publisher: Phaidon Press, 2006

Synopsis

Presents a visual essay documenting the notion and history of spectacles, those public performances and happenings that galvanize hordes of people. This book brings together photographs, interviews, and essays that examine the art, evolution, and cultural impact of spectacles around the globe.

About this title

Review

"Spectacle offers an impressive visual tour of over 60 spectacular events that take place around the world."―The Architect’s Newspaper

"This is a book of happy spectacles. Rockwell and Mau (Spectacle has Mau's imaginative boldness and strong sense of display written all over it) have created a smart book with heft and beauty, and much information useful to designers and fans of the public entertainments, rituals and happenings that so enchant us."―Azure

"Packed with 200 color photographs and interviews with award-winning authors, producers, directors, and performers - from Muhammad Ali to Steve Wynn―these authorities of the grandiose explain how such ‘shared, live experiences’ shape the way that we see the world, the way we interact with it, and how we interact with each other."―Desert Living

"Architect David Rockwell doesn’t just think big―he thinks spectacular."―The New York Sun

"Spectacle by David Rockwell and Bruce Mau is a smallish book on a biggish subject."―The New York Times

"An extraordinarily informative, entertaining, and inspiring book."―Passport

"Slickly designed, with full-page color photographs of more than 60 such spectacles from around the world (including the Burning Man festival), the monograph serves the dual needs of armchair travelers, offering vicarious journeys alongside provocative ruminations on the underpinnings of the events."―San Francisco Bay Guardian

"Stunning... Fascinating."―Gay Times

Synopsis

This book is a visual essay documenting the notion and history of spectacle, those public performances and happenings that galvanize hordes of people and, if only for a brief moment, express the culture of our time in mass participation. From the dazzling opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games to the surreal circus atmosphere of performance troupes like Cirque du Soleil, from holiday parades like Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to religious events such as the Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela, which drew millions of pilgrims in 2001, this volume is a tribute to the art of celebration and ritual. As design impresario David Rockwell notes in the book's interview, "the focus of this book's journey is the value of being there. It's not about something happening to you, it's about participating...This is looking at things that are temporary and the power of something that can burst and happen and go away." As editors of this book, Mau and Rockwell bring together eye-popping photographs, interviews, and brief essays that examine the art, evolution, and cultural impact of spectacles old and new and around the globe.

The book is divided in six thematic sections, each expressing an aspect of the ritualistic event: Scale, Visual Exuberance, Community, Transformation, Impermanence, and Immersion. Each section documents three spectacles, ranging from the Kumbh Mela celebration in India to Carnival celebrations to the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona; from the glitzy mass appeal of Las Vegas to the historical reenactment of the Calcio Storico in Florence, and ephemeral events like fireworks displays and flashmobs. Each featured spectacle includes several spreads of stunning color and archival photographs, a brief description, selected statistics, and an interview with a noted cultural figure, among whom are art critic Dave Hickey, architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott-Brown, theater professor Arnold Aronson of Columbia University, and theater director Julie Taymor. Illustrated sidebars profile historical figures and events, such as Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympic Games, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. "Spectacle" presents an unprecedented collection of dynamic images that convey the palpable buzz, sheer beauty, and often bizarre fascination of man-made events worldwide.

And, for those readers with a desire to get closer to the scenes as spectators or participants, the book includes a listing of 24 events with factual information (where, what, when); among these are the Dakar Motor Rally, the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan, Dia de los Muertos in Mexico, the New York City Marathon, and Ibiza raves.

About this edition

• Publisher: Phaidon Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0714845744
• ISBN 13: 9780714845746
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256