Monte Carlo Seminar: Drawing the Body, Imagining the City

3 units

In 1969, Archigram released one of their most iconic, yet probably also most enigmatic projects - Features: Monte Carlo. A mixed-use proposal for a performance and recreational space, it was both a building blueprint and a discursive device that operated on the scale of the human body and the city. It wove together issues of bodily and environmental wellness and performance, critically engaging the complexities of emerging global culture: mass media, entertainment industry and various environmental issues. The seminar will revisit these questions through a combination of theoretical texts and projects, challenging the students to unpack the environment as a complex cultural, social and technological construct. The rich cultural history of Monaco will serve as a springboard for these conversations - from the projects by Charles Garnier, Le Corbusier, Archigram and Yona Friedman to the wide-reaching experiments in modern art, design and dance of the Ballet Russe, including its avant-garde choreography by Serghei Diaghilev, stage set designs by Pablo Picasso and costume designs by Leon Bakst, Monaco sustained a highly innovative level of cultural production that was often eclipsed by its socio-economic peculiarities. By unpacking these innovations within a larger historical and theoretical context informed by the texts of Walter Benjamin, Reyner Banham, Dean MacCannell and others, the seminar will draw together bodily experiences and global cultures in modern cities. Open to graduate and upper-level undergraduate students. Fulfills History/Theory elective requirement.