Archinect - News

Twitter account dedicated to traditional European architecture draws ire as an architecture-themed dog-whistle

2018-08-15T15:17:00-04:00

A twitter account dedicated to traditional European architecture has drawn ire for being a magnet for white nationalism. In a recent article in the Newstatesman, writer Sarah Manavis chronicles how the account called ArchitecturalRevival—which posts pictures of old buildings and architectural details—has become a feed full of anti-Semites, Islamophobes, and white nationalists, their architectural and aesthetic preferences often tethered to their particular ideologies.

The account's more innocuous tweets tend to feature images and memes of classical architecture or new traditional styles that celebrate their beauty and craftsmanship. Repeatedly accompanied with harsh charges against examples of modernism, the International style and modernist architects such as Le Corbusier seem to provoke exceptional anger from the account and its followers. More incriminating, though, is the fact that as Manavis notes, "the account has also shown a preference for cultural conservatives in its 'lik...

Architecture as Propaganda? What do we do now?

2017-12-12T11:40:00-05:00

This isn’t a new phenomenon for 2017–see Tiananmen Square, North Korea’s totalitarian buildings, Nazi architect Albert Speer. But this year we were reminded of architecture’s enduring power to be used as political propaganda thanks to Trump’s proposed border wall.

Architecture has played a fundamental role in the propagandized rhetoric of the Trump Administration. The aim of any kind of propaganda is to promote an idea or an ideology, and Trump and his administration have used architecture to promote their own program and ideology with an unquestionable emphasis on nationalism.

How are we to look forward and discuss this appropriation of a discipline, history and study as a tool for biased and demeaning indoctrination and publicity?

Fast Co Design wonders, "Why Is There So Much Modern Architecture In The NRA’s New Ad?"

2017-07-05T15:13:00-04:00

For decades, authoritarian regimes have waged war on modern architecture and the philosophy it embodies. A new ad proves it’s still a target.

In an alarmingly threatening and dangerous ad, NRA attacks intellectualism (in its core sense) via modern architecture. This savage ad might not only target your profession and/or your education but also puts the average citizen in front of the barrel of a gun.

Truth is not a superfluous thing

2016-03-14T00:42:00-04:00

Mostly it is about how propaganda multiplies within that upload/download architecture; an architecture in which both fact and fiction can exist side by side and even overlap

Billie Muraben investigates 'The Sprawl', a multi-channel video installation, by design studio Metahaven.

The politics behind China's ban on "weird" architecture

2016-03-01T19:38:00-05:00

...eye-catching edifices began as China’s way of announcing its arrival as a powerful player on the world stage. Now, however, the Chinese government has changed course: It has officially declared this to be “weird” architecture that must be stopped. Chinese leaders have turned their backs on these structures, a shift that underscores China’s new conception of itself and its ambitions for the future [...]

"But the government’s mandate explicitly addresses both the function and form of new buildings, and the planning imperative seems designed to go beyond improving the quality of life. The end of “weird” architecture ties in to the government’s recent efforts to champion frugality, revive traditional values, and keep foreign ideas at bay—priorities that have assumed even greater importance in the midst of China’s ongoing corruption crackdown and fears of an economic slowdown."

For more on China's turbulent relationship with contemporary architecture, check out these links:

A rare look at North Korean architecture, brought to you by non-Koreans

2014-05-23T11:43:00-04:00

The Korea pavilion has been a part of the Venice Architecture Biennale since 1993, when the optimism of the post-Berlin Wall era made reunification between North and South Korea seem plausible. But getting equal representation from both Northern and Southern architects in 2014 has proved nearly impossible -- architects from the North would never seek individualized attention for their work, their practice entirely determined by guidelines set in stone by "Kim Jong-il's Architectural Theory".

Minsuk Cho, principal of Mass Studies in Seoul and the curator of Korea's 2014 pavilion, thought he'd have to give up on the idea of a joint North-South effort when communications with North Korea fizzled out, without explanation. This year's Biennale's theme, "Absorbing Modernity: 1914-2014", is particularly relevant for Korea, considering both North and South remade their political and architectural landscapes after the Korean War, in the midst of mid-century modernism's development and the bi...

Philip Johnson Was a Nazi Propagandist

2014-04-22T21:28:00-04:00

Philip Johnson was a terrible, hateful human being. And he wasn't just some casual Nazi sympathizer whispering, "maybe Hitler has some good ideas" in shadowy bars, either. He actively campaigned for Nazi causes in the U.S. and around the world. Johnson visited Germany in the 1930s at the invitation of the government's Propaganda Ministry. He wrote numerous articles for far right publications. He started a fascist organization called the Gray Shirts in the United States...

Propaganda artists from North Korea paint a rose-tinted China

2013-10-21T12:15:00-04:00

A jovial group of Red Guards bask in the golden glow of cornfields, waving their flags at the magnificent harvest, while a rustic farming couple look on, carrying an overflowing basket of perfectly plump red apples. In the centre of this vision of optimism, where once might have beamed the cheerful face of Mao, stands the twisted loop of the China Central Television (CCTV) headquarters, radiating a lilac sheen.

The Beautiful Future sees icons of Beijing's skyline reimagined by a team of propaganda painters in Pyongyang