This publication features Art Deco structures in the Philippines built during the Commonwealth years by American- and European-educated Filipino architects.
Although rarely explored in academic literature, most inhabitants and visitors interact with an urban landscape on a day-to-day basis is on the street level. Storefronts, first floor apartments, and sidewalks are the most immediate and common experience of a city. These "plinths" are the ground floors that negotiate between inside and outside, the public and private spheres. The City at Eye Level qualitatively evaluates plinths by exploring specific examples from all over the world. Over twenty-five experts investigate the design, land use, and road and foot traffic in rigorously researched essays, case studies, and interviews. These pieces are supplemented by over two hundred beautiful color images and engage not only with issues in design, but also the concerns of urban communities. The editors have put together a comprehensive guide for anyone concerned with improving or building plinths, including planners, building owners, property and shop managers, designers, and architects.
"The goal of the logo is to alert readers to the threat that massive unauthorized photocopying poses to the future of the written work. [...] The Deco idiom col- onized broadcast facility, from the world's metropolis in London to the North American prairie, and instrument, the radio cabinet, in the houses of the prosperous to the relatively poor. [...] This book would not have been possible without the vision and support of Luc Noppen and the Institut du patrimoine of the Université du Québec à Montréal and the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada, which founded the Prix Phyllis-Lambert. [...] In addition to Luc and the Institut du patrimoine, I would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the IODE (War Memorial Scholarship Program), the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) (with support of TD Financial Bank), and, at UBC, the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Department of Art H [...] There are numerous others who gave of their time and expertise: Don Luxton, Linda Fraser at the CAA, Joan Seidl at the Museum of Vancouver, the staff at the City of Vancouver Archives and the Vancouver Public Library, the staff at the Special Collections at UBC, Alexis Sornin and the librarians at the CCA, Kathleen Correia and the staff at the California State Library, Jennifer Whitlock at the Uni"--
Art Deco—the term conjures up jewels by Van Cleef & Arpels, glassware by Laique, furniture by Ruhlmann—is best exemplified in the work shown at the exhibition that gave the style its name: the Exposition Internationale des Art Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, held in Paris in 1925. The exquisite craftsmanship and artistry of the objects displayed spoke to a sophisticated modernity yet were rooted in past traditions. Although it quickly spread to other countries, Art Deco found its most coherent expression in France, where a rich cultural heritage was embraced as the impetus for creating something new. the style drew on inspirations as diverse as fashion, avant-garde trends in the fine arts—such as Cubism and Fauvism—and a taste for the exotic, all of which converged in exceptionally luxurious and innovative objects. While the practice of Art Deco ended with the Second World War, interest in it has not only endured to the present day but has grown steadily. Based on the Metropolitan Museum's renowned collection French Art Deco presents more than eighty masterpieces by forty-two designers. Examples include Süe et Mare's furniture from the 1925 Exposition; Dufy's Cubist-inspired textiles; Dunand's lacquered bedroom suite; Dupas's monumental glass wall panels from the SS Normandie; and Fouquet's spectacular dress ornament in the shape of a Chinese mask. Jared Goss's engaging text includes a discussion of each object together with a biography of the designer who created it and is enlivened by generous quotations from writings of the period. The extensive introduction provides historical context and explores the origins and aesthetic of Art Deco. With its rich text and sumptuous photographs, this is not only one of the rare books on French Art Deco in English, but an object d'art in its own right.
The largely unknown oeuvre of the Philippine architect Leandro V. Locsin (1928-1994) embodies the search for identity in the built environment. Having completed his studies, Locsin opened his practice in 1953 in the capital Manila which, after the aerial attacks by the Allied forces for the liberation of the Philippines from Japanese occupation, had been almost completely destroyed. The reconstruction, as well as technical innovations and favorable political and economic conditions, made it possible for him to design a wide range and large number of projects, including hotels, commercial buildings, churches, cultural venues, and public buildings. His work combines inspiration from modernism with local traditions and comprises a total of 245 projects, of which more than half were completed. The book presents a selection of the most important buildings and projects.
Art Nouveau thrived from the late 1890s through the First World War. The international design movement reveled in curvilinear forms and both playful and macabre visions and had a deep impact on cinematic art direction, costuming, gender representation, genre, and theme. Though historians have long dismissed Art Nouveau as a decadent cultural mode, its tremendous afterlife in cinema proves otherwise. In Cinema by Design, Lucy Fischer traces Art Nouveau's long history in films from various decades and global locales, appreciating the movement's enduring avant-garde aesthetics and dynamic ideology. Fischer begins with the portrayal of women and nature in the magical "trick films" of the Spanish director Segundo de Chomón; the elite dress and décor design choices in Cecil B. DeMille's The Affairs of Anatol (1921); and the mise-en-scène of fantasy in Raoul Walsh's The Thief of Bagdad (1924). Reading Salome (1923), Fischer shows how the cinema offered an engaging frame for adapting the risqué works of Oscar Wilde and Aubrey Beardsley. Moving to the modern era, Fischer focuses on a series of dramatic films, including Michelangelo Antonioni's The Passenger (1975), that make creative use of the architecture of Antoni Gaudí; and several European works of horror—The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), Deep Red (1975), and The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears (2013)—in which Art Nouveau architecture and narrative supply unique resonances in scenes of terror. In later chapters, she examines films like Klimt (2006) that portray the style in relation to the art world and ends by discussing the Art Nouveau revival in 1960s cinema. Fischer's analysis brings into focus the partnership between Art Nouveau's fascination with the illogical and the unconventional and filmmakers' desire to upend viewers' perception of the world. Her work explains why an art movement embedded in modernist sensibilities can flourish in contemporary film through its visions of nature, gender, sexuality, and the exotic.
Art Deco burst upon the world for a brief but unforgettable existence during the 1920s and 1930s. It embraced new media, such as the cinema and radio, as well as new forms of transport and the associated buildings, and above all brought a sense of luxury, fun and escapism to the world during some of the hardest times. Art Deco Architecture - The Inter War Period examines the sources and origins of the style from before the First World War. It offers an in-depth exploration of the origins, inspirations and political backdrop behind this popular style. Lavishly illustrated with images taken especially for the book, topics covered include: a worldwide examination of the spread and usage of Art Deco; short biographical essays on architects and architectural practices; an in-depth examination of French architects and their output from this period; an introduction to stunning and little-known buildings from around the world and finally, the importance of World Fairs and Expositions in the spread of Art Deco. Will be of great interest to all architecture students and Art Deco enthusiasts and is lavishly illustrated with 299 colour photographs especially taken for the book. Mike Hope is an author, lecturer, curator and designer and tours extensively lecturing on architecture and design.