The Situationist City [Hardcover]

Simon Sadler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 7, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0262193922 | ISBN-13: 978-0262193924

From 1957 to 1972 the artistic and political movement known as the Situationist International (SI) worked aggressively to subvert the conservative ideology of the Western world. The movement's broadside attack on "establishment" institutions and values left its mark upon the libertarian left, the counterculture, the revolutionary events of 1968, and more recent phenomena from punk to postmodernism. But over time it tended to obscure Situationism's own founding principles. In this book, Simon Sadler investigates the artistic, architectural, and cultural theories that were once the foundations of Situationist thought, particularly as they applied to the form of the modern city.According to the Situationists, the benign professionalism of architecture and design had led to a sterilization of the world that threatened to wipe out any sense of spontaneity or playfulness. The Situationists hankered after the "pioneer spirit" of the modernist period, when new ideas, such as those of Marx, Freud, and Nietzsche, still felt fresh and vital.By the late fifties, movements such as British and American Pop Art and French Nouveau Ralisme had become intensely interested in everyday life, space, and mass culture. The SI aimed to convert this interest into a revolution--at the level of the city itself. Their principle for the reorganization of cities was simple and seductive: let the citizens themselves decide what spaces and architecture they want to live in and how they wish to live in them. This would instantly undermine the powers of state, bureaucracy, capital, and imperialism, thereby revolutionizing people's everyday lives.Simon Sadler searches for the Situationist City among the detritus of tracts, manifestos, and works of art that the SI left behind. The book is divided into three parts. The first, "The Naked City," outlines the Situationist critique of the urban environment as it then existed. The second, "Formulary for a New Urbanism," examines Situationist principles for the city and for city living. The third, "A New Babylon," describes actual designs proposed for a Situationist City.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is a pleasure to see a work that situates theSituationists. Sadler has performed a necessary and welcome correctiveto our understanding of this strange but endearing crew." Adam Sweeting, American Book Review

"Imaginative, scrupulous, well-illustrated and very timely." Dr. Sarah Wilson , Courtauld Institute of Art

"This concise and clearly written work shines light on... thisintriguing and increasingly influential 'hidden' avant-garde." John Held, Jr. San Francisco Bay Guardian

About the Author

Simon Sadler is Associate Professor of Architectural and Urban History at the University of California, Davis.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (March 7, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262193922
• ISBN-13: 978-0262193924
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,956,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Longing for the ludic, December 29, 1999

By 

Ricardo Bonhomie (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Situationist City (Hardcover)

An excellent book, within the constraints the author sets for himself, to deal primarily with what could ahistorically, but reasonably be called "situationist" architecture and architectural theory. There is no doubt the book makes bored, sensitive fellows like myself want to go out and do something to keep these insane transformational ideas alive and working in culture. I'd love to have a list of all the other bored people, we could have a big party.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars bit late but looks fine, August 29, 2010

By 

Chan Chun Kong (HKG) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Situationist City (Paperback)

arrived a bit late due to technical issues, but condition is fine
the re-delivery system is fine also

13 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars the worst, February 7, 2006

By 

Pascal Tiscali - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Situationist City (Paperback)

You could hardly find a greater betrayal of the Situationist movement in all of its aspects, than this book, which translates a chaotic, exciting and iconoclastic movement into a boring and platitudinous addition to the obligatory academic discourse about everything.

Throw this thing in the trash, don't even resell it, certainly don't donate it to any charities or libraries. Go right now instead and find "The Situationist International: A User's Guide" by Simon Ford, you won't regret it. I swear to God I am not lying and I have no institutional or other affiliation that would conflict with this judgment.