A Home Before the End of the World

What does it mean when a famous contemporary novelist — often praised for the precision of his prose — makes careless errors in his depiction of the natural world? Environmental writer Adelheid Fischer sees this kind of "eco-confabulation" as symptomatic of a larger ignorance of nature and natural history, of what she calls "the webbiness of life" on the planet of which we humans are but a part. Is our ignorance, Fischer wonders, somehow enabling us to ignore the accelerating degradation of our environment?
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DESPINA STRATIGAKOS

What I Learned from Architect Barbie

"In February Architect Barbie made her industry debut at the Toy Fair in New York City; in May she made her professional entrance at the AIA convention in New Orleans. But Architect Barbie's real beginnings were political." Architectural historian Despina Stratigakos describes how she came to lobby a multinational toymaker to view architecture as a viable profession for its iconic doll — and in the process stimulate new discussion in a field "which has struggled more than most professions to foster diversity."
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KAREN PIPER

"We Just Want To Be Tourists"

"Imagine bands of protestors surrounding Yellowstone, waving black flags and blocking the exits with burning tires. Imagine the lodges of Yosemite running short of food and gasoline and tourists beginning to panic. Imagine the press remaining oblivious even as thousands are being held against their will and people are ending up dead. Imagine all this and you'll have a sense of what was happening in January in southernmost Chile." Karen Piper tells the tale of her trip to Torres del Paine, and wonders whether tourism itself is an endangered activity, "threatened by dwindling energy resources, a withering middle class, and the rising inequality that is fueling instability, protest and terrorism."
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ALEXANDRA LANGE, MARK LAMSTER

Lunch with the Critics: Cronocaos

"Cronocaos," curated by OMA/Rem Koolhaas, opened this spring at the New Museum in New York City. The exhibition examines the "global taskforce" of architectural and ecological preservation, which, Koolhaas argues, has made a large part of the planet effectively "immutable." In the latest installment of Lunch with the Critics, Mark Lamster and Alexandra Lange visit the exhibition, and debate its success.
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PLACES ARCHIVE: WINTER 2000

Portfolio: Uneasy Spaces

New York City photographer Elizabeth Felicella focuses on what she calls "landscape of security."
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The School of Architecture's mission is founded in the faculty commitment to community and its focus on the city as a work of art and architecture. The school is a forum for the work of New Urbanism, an international movement with a charter of 27 principles addressing issues ranging from the scale of a region to individual buildings. Those principles form a vision which guides the programs of the UMSA.

RECENT BOOKS RECEIVED

American Glamour
Alice T. Friedman

Reading the American Landscape: An Index of Books and Images
Lex ter Braak, David Hamers, Anne Hoogewoning, Erik de Jong, Frank van der Salm, Dirk Sijmons and Hanneke Schreiber

Boomtown 2050: Scenarios for a Rapidly Growing City
Richard Weller


WEEKLY EMAIL: JUNE 15, 2011
FEATURED THIS WEEK : ADELHEID FISCHER A Home Before the End of the World What does it mean when a famous contemporary novelist — often praised for the precision of his prose — makes careless errors in his depiction of the natural world? Environmental writer Adelheid Fischer sees this kind of "eco-confabulation" as symptomatic of a larger ignorance of nature and natural history, of what she calls "the webbiness of life" on the planet of which we humans are but a part. Is our ignorance, Fischer wonders, somehow enabling us to ignore the accelerating degradation of our environment? READ MORE
DESPINA STRATIGAKOS What I Learned from Architect Barbie "In February Architect Barbie made her industry debut at the Toy Fair in New York City; in May she made her professional entrance at the AIA convention in New Orleans. But Architect Barbie's real beginnings were political." Architectural historian Despina Stratigakos describes how she came to lobby a multinational toymaker to view architecture as a viable profession for its iconic doll — and in the process stimulate new discussion in a field "which has struggled more than most professions to foster diversity." READ MORE KAREN PIPER "We Just Want To Be Tourists" "Imagine bands of protestors surrounding Yellowstone, waving black flags and blocking the exits with burning tires. Imagine the lodges of Yosemite running short of food and gasoline and tourists beginning to panic. Imagine the press remaining oblivious even as thousands are being held against their will and people are ending up dead. Imagine all this and you'll have a sense of what was happening in January in southernmost Chile." Karen Piper tells the tale of her trip to Torres del Paine, and wonders whether tourism itself is an endangered activity, "threatened by dwindling energy resources, a withering middle class, and the rising inequality that is fueling instability, protest and terrorism." READ MORE FROM OUR SPONSORS Learn to be a design critic through SVA's D-Crit program: Design as subject matter, criticism as a literary genre and the range of tools with which to practice design criticism. Watch videos of presentations by the Class of 2011 >> The D-Crit Program >> SVA Website >> More than a decade ago Sappi Fine Paper North America established the Ideas that Matter grant program to recognize and support designers who generously donate their time and talent to a wide range of charitable activities. Enter your Idea to win money for your pro-bono project. Design is the power to affect the world. Enter Ideas that Matter here >> See stories of change here >> Find out more about Sappi here >> ALEXANDRA LANGE, MARK LAMSTER Lunch with the Critics: Cronocaos "Cronocaos," curated by OMA/Rem Koolhaas, opened this spring at the New Museum in New York City. The exhibition examines the "global taskforce" of architectural and ecological preservation, which, Koolhaas argues, has made a large part of the planet effectively "immutable." In the latest installment of Lunch with the Critics, Mark Lamster and Alexandra Lange visit the exhibition, and debate its success. READ MORE		BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK \| FOLLOW US ON TWITTER The leading health conference where design matters. Register today >> Register by the early deadline and save up to $200. Pivot the AIGA Design Conference >> Good design can influence positive change! Learn more Ideas that Matter >> D-Crit: Design as subject matter. Criticism as literary genre. Learn at SVA >> PLACES ARCHIVE: WINTER 2000 Portfolio: Uneasy Spaces New York City photographer Elizabeth Felicella focuses on what she calls "landscape of security." READ MORE PARTNER SCHOOL University of Miami, School of Architecture The School of Architecture's mission is founded in the faculty commitment to community and its focus on the city as a work of art and architecture. The school is a forum for the work of New Urbanism, an international movement with a charter of 27 principles addressing issues ranging from the scale of a region to individual buildings. Those principles form a vision which guides the programs of the UMSA. RECENT BOOKS RECEIVED American Glamour Alice T. Friedman Reading the American Landscape: An Index of Books and Images Lex ter Braak, David Hamers, Anne Hoogewoning, Erik de Jong, Frank van der Salm, Dirk Sijmons and Hanneke Schreiber Boomtown 2050: Scenarios for a Rapidly Growing City Richard Weller
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