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Phaidon Press
October 2006
On Sale: October 15, 2006
256 pages ISBN: 0714845744 EAN: 9780714845746 Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
In Spectacle, the architect David Rockwell, in collaboration
with designer Bruce Mau, explores the allure of
larger-than-life events that take place around the globe.
From the running of the bulls in Pamplona to the Holi
Festival in India to deafening - and dangerous - NASCAR
races, Spectacle considers what it is about these "shared,
live experiences" that transforms not only the way we see
the world, but also how we connect with each other.
Illustrated with over 200 color photographs, the dynamic
visual essay highlights the power of real-time, real-space
events in today's highly mediated world. The book features a
collection of photographs and interviews with award-winning
authors, producers, directors, and performers. These
contributors have documented, participated in, or produced
large events and bring a fascinating behind-the-scenes and
in front-of-the footlights perspective on "spectacles"
today. Interviews include: Muhammad Ali, champion boxer;
Kurt Anderson, novelist and essayist; Simon Doonan, author
and creative director; Dave Hickey, art critic; Quincy
Jones, legendary music and event producer; Guy Laliberté,
founder of Cirque du Soleil; Julie Taymor, film and theater
director; Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, architects;
John Waters, filmmaker; and Steve Wynn, Las Vegas
mega-developer, with a concluding essay by critic Herbert
Muschamp.
The book offers readers an unprecedented tour of over 60
far-flung and fleeting, beautiful and bizaare manmade events
around the world. An in-depth selection of "spectacles" are
presented thematically in six chapters that focus on various
characteristics and unique cultural attributes that connect
or distinguish each of the events.
Spectacle offers statistics and sidebars on the history of
featured events, providing layers of information that add
depth and context. Further, a reference section called
"Getting There" contains a monthly calendar listing more
global spectacles throughout the year, maps and insider tips
you should know before you go.
"An empty stadium, an open field or a busy urban
thoroughfare, each--when transformed by spectacle--undergoes
an alchemic process," says David Rockwell. "A group of
strangers fuses into an instant community. As an architect I
strive to make environments where people connect. This is
rooted in vivid recollections of my childhood--from amateur
theater on the Jersey shore to the open air markets of
Guadalajara Mexico--that have made me deeply aware of the
power of shared experience. By physically attending an
event, you declare yourself; you become something greater
than you."
From the glitzy appeal of Las Vegas to the historical
reenactment of the Calcio Storico in Florence, Spectacle
presents an extraodordinary collection of images and text
that convey the palpable buzz, sheer beauty and unusual
fascination of public performance around the globe. If you
are an armchair traveler or spontanieous jetsetter, David
Rockwell and Bruce Mau offer a mesmerizing,
thought-provoking journey into the world of spectacle that
is bound to encourage not only conversation but also
participation.
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