Fantastic Architecture

by Dick Higgins, Wolf Vostell, Claes Oldenburg (Illustrator)

Compiled by Fluxus artists Wolf Vostell and Dick Higgins, and first published by Higgins' legendary Something Else Press in 1970, Fantastic Architecture anticipated the critiques launched by a new generation of visionary architects in the 1970s. In his introduction, Higgins argued that "architects ... have only just begun to escape from the drawing board mentality," and articulated the need for "creating space, which may or may not be functional, but which is at least relevant to the sensory environment in which we live. The economics of building has led to an aridity in our experience which is not consistent with the richness of our time." Against this, Higgins and Vostell advocate the approach of polymath artists such as Kurt Schwitters, Raoul Hausmann, Erich Buchholz, John Cage and Buckminster Fuller. From their contemporaries and friends, artists such as Carolee Schneemann, Ben Vautier, Richard Hamilton, Douglas Huebler, Lawrence Weiner, Dennis Oppenheim, Jan Dibbets, Jean Tinguely, Robert Filliou, Daniel Spoerri, Geoff and Bici Hendricks, Philip Corner, Joseph Beuys, Ay-o, Claes Oldenburg and others also made contributions, which range from the visionary to the absurd to the political, from the epistolary to the outright manifesto. Joseph Beuys submitted a recommendation to raise the height of the Berlin Wall; Claes Oldenburg's proposals included a colossal replacement for the Washington Obelisk and a monument for war heroes. Vostell and Higgins considered it the artist's responsibility to research and revolutionize structures in space, recognizing that artists could reconceive buildings without the bureaucracy of government and urban planning. The missives and artworks made for this book show how much visionary architecture was intertwined with all facets of culture and critique. Fantastic Architecture is a prime example of a 1960s Fluxus artist's book and of imaginative cross-media thinking.

Genres: Art, Architecture

194 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1969

Reviews

[Nate D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't push the envelope, tear it to shreds and create a new envelope by entirely altered terms. Architecture book as anarchic compendium of ideas and questions, ever seeking, ever irresolved. A collection of invitations, perhaps.

[Tentatively, Convenience · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the earlier of the 2 bks in my library called "Fantastic Architecture" (my only criticism of the large bk published by Abrams of the same name is that they shd've called it something different, like "Visionary Architecture", in order to differentitiate it from this also great bk). This was published by Dick Higgins' "Something Else Press" wch consistently published some of the most important art bks, IMO, of the late 20th century. I 1st met Higgins when he gave a reading at Marshall Reese's apt in Baltimore - probably in the late 1970s. I was a bit bored by the reading - wch I felt went on for too long (this is particularly ironic since I'm probably somewhat notorious for giving 4 hr screenings that most people leave during, eg). In retrospect, it's amazing that he wd've even given a reading in someone's apt under those conditions at all. Later, at a performance in NYC for Jackson MacLow's 60th birthday (1982), Higgins was sitting behind me & a friend of mine asked me who he was. I was irritated w/ Higgins at the time because he'd given me a promotional pamphlet for his press that replaced SE & I felt like he was just pushing advertising - wch was a big no-no in my world. I sd something like "Dick Higgins, FLUXUS, has a press called Something Else, he's done a few good things." Let me set the record straight: HIGGINS DID MANY GREAT THINGS & this bk is one of them. Something Else bks were, at one time, fairly easy to get cheap for the usual stupid reason that they were underappreciated. This one even has transparencies - wch is always a big plus. Now they're probably quite difficult to find & anyone who's willing to part w/ them is either a fool or desperate. If you find something like this online it might be stolen by some utter creep w/o the slightest appreciation for anything other than their drug habit.

[Ichor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Largely plagued by the same kind of lazy 'experimentation' which afflicted much experimental fiction of the same era—the kind where saying or doing something ‘random’ was conflated with taking an axe to the axiomatic. Vostell and Higgins's own artistic contributions are some of the better ones, with Gerhard Rühm's reimagining of Vienna, Pol Bury's Pan Am building and Karl H. Hödicke's ‘Revolving Door’ sketch the only others that are truly on mission.

When it came to space and place, the Situationists did it better.

[Dungus Crungus · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightfully weird book. Felt like diving straight into an obscure subset of a science I know nothing about (which is exactly what happened) in the best way possible!
While I can't pretend to understand all the intricacies of this dadaist architectural theory, I loved swimming through these vibes and admiring what floated by.

[clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

very introspective! such a wonderful coincidence that i found this. nice to get a new perspective on architecture while learning about how it applies to politics and philosphy. cant wait to learn more!

[Sümeyye Yıldız]

Neyi okuduğumu ve neyi nasıl anlamam gerektiğini tanımlayamayacağım bir metindi.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent text and images. layout was a little too "creative" for my taste

[Mills College Library]

720 H6362 1971