A set of Photographs by Steffi Klenz concentrating on Prince Charles' town of Poundbury. Built on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall and planned by the architect Leon Krier, the town owns its conceptual structure to the principles set out in the Prince's book “A Vision of Britain”. Photos >
8 Comments
That's great set of photographs. The lack of people combined with the non-existent articulation in street areas makes it all look a bit scale-modellish, though.
alas, the grandfather of New Urbanism.
great photos. interesting to compare them to the "A Scape" series.
How picturesque.
Seriously though, the photos are really cool given Krier's interest in deliberately setting up oblique views down streets a la Camillo Sitte.
It suggests a vision of a dystopian theme park for the criminally insane, or perhaps as a backdrop for the next iteration of a videogame, Grand Theft Auto: Poundbury.
I'm no fan of Prince Charles' anachronisms but I could never so ruthlessly conjure the image provided by Klenz' treatment. In that sense, it's far more revealing of her irrational fears than of Poundbury's internal contradictions. Perhaps it's a uniquely German reaction to the threat of totalitarianism. Whatever the motive, this series comes across as a gratuitous distortion, in part because of the backstory of Prince Charles’ new urbanism, which can’t be untangled from Poundbury’s significance - there's not one mention of Prince Charles' controversial role in the artist statement.
Burtynski and even Gurski are far less ham-fisted in their allusions to the inconvenient truths of late modernism.
GREAT photography?...wow, oblique angles! as if the designer isnt responsible this effect...its called picturesque! les duh! poundbury is significant...what? significant amount of longing for an image driven, mythological, editorialized past? couldnt hate this more...until robert stern presents his latest abortion
one must immediately question the lack of people and activity in the series; if the images were photographed at a peculiar time in which vacancy is inevitable, then they would indeed be a "gratuitous distortion." assuming the opposite is true, the photographer offers a critical examination of the theories that would later evolve into new urbanism.
in contrast to Burtynsky and Gursky who are more adept at photographing the residue of modernism filled with trash and dirt, klenz presents a pristine society lacking color and vibrancy. the small glimpses of such life are only visible through the cracks created by the oblique angles of the mute walls.
dystopian? absolutely.
bring on the horses and carriages!!
isn't it great to harken back to a time when horses pooped in the gravel streets and you poured your trash and waste out of the window into the gutter?
i mean, they're not going to have "modern" conveniences are they?
One steaming pile of turpitudinous excrement deserves another. hehe
OFFAL & ORDURE ahead.
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