Spectacle

by David Rockwell

This book is a visual essay documenting the notion and history of spectacle, those public performances and happenings that galvanize hordes of people and, if only for a brief moment, express the culture of our time in mass participation. From the dazzling opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games to the surreal circus atmosphere of performance troupes like Cirque du Soleil, from holiday parades like Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to religious events such as the Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela, which drew millions of pilgrims in 2001, this volume is a tribute to the art of celebration and ritual. As design impresario David Rockwell notes in the book's interview, "the focus of this book's journey is the value of being there. It's not about something happening to you, it's about participating...This is looking at things that are temporary and the power of something that can burst and happen and go away." As editors of this book, Mau and Rockwell bring together eye-popping photographs, interviews, and brief essays that examine the art, evolution, and cultural impact of spectacles old and new and around the globe. The book is divided in six thematic sections, each expressing an aspect of the ritualistic Scale, Visual Exuberance, Community, Transformation, Impermanence, and Immersion. Each section documents three spectacles, ranging from the Kumbh Mela celebration in India to Carnival celebrations to the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona; from the glitzy mass appeal of Las Vegas to the historical reenactment of the Calcio Storico in Florence, and ephemeral events like fireworks displays and flashmobs. Each featured spectacle includes several spreads of stunning color and archival photographs, a brief description, selected statistics, and an interview with a noted cultural figure, among whom are art critic Dave Hickey, architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott-Brown, theater professor Arnold Aronson of Columbia University, and theater director Julie Taymor. Illustrated sidebars profile historical figures and events, such as Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympic Games, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. "Spectacle" presents an unprecedented collection of dynamic images that convey the palpable buzz, sheer beauty, and often bizarre fascination of man-made events worldwide. And, for those readers with a desire to get closer to the scenes as spectators or participants, the book includes a listing of 24 events with factual information (where, what, when); among these are the Dakar Motor Rally, the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan, Dia de los Muertos in Mexico, the New York City Marathon, and Ibiza raves.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2006

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spectacle is a survey of Baroque maximalism in modern times, covering events and places which are big, bold, or brief: Burning Man, Las Vegas, NASCAR, the Running of the Bulls, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and more.

I definitely enjoyed the book, but its depth and focus were mildly unnerving: it was not quite a travelogue, not quite a full study of these grandiose events, and not emotional or detailed enough to be really engaging. The photography, layout, and pace of the book (designed by the great Bruce Mau) was the highlight of Spectacle, but the interviews peppered through the book were somewhat dry or forced, and the longer-form essay at the end was odd and largely incomprehensible.

I love the idea of this book, but the execution was only about 75% there, sadly. Worth flipping through for an hour to get the gist, but the bulk of the text was not a must-read.

[Sevenponds · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Rockwell has captured far-flung and fleeting human spectacles for us to marvel at. All the spectacles in his book are planned: intentionally created and experienced by willing participants, usually for pleasure.

On the other hand, spectacles that arise from tragedy are different — we call them memorials. They are created organically, driven by the creativity of collective bystanders randomly brought together by disaster. Each individual is so inexplicably moved by the emotions and meaning of death and loss that they participate in a sort of organized chaos in order to cope. We learn that tragedy bonds people and creates meaningful order that may last many lifetimes.

[Continued]

Full SevenPonds review:
http://blog.sevenponds.com/sharing-su...

[sleeps9hours · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing. Full of boring interviews, poor quality photos, and a collection of mostly yawn-worthy spectacles, including Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, NASCAR, Burning Man, Olympics, Fireworks. The book does nothing to make a reader/viewer feel like they are actually a part of any of these events. Really not worth even checking out of the library.

[Doug Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful photography and some interesting interviews and commentary. It's a good coffee table book. However, it lacks depth of understanding as to why humans enjoy spectacle. It also concentrates only on the 20th century.