The second exhibit I saw at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art was called Repositioning Paolo Soleri: The City is Nature. It was a retrospective of the life work of artist and architect Paolo Soleri who made his home right here in Arizona. Soleri pioneered the term "arcology" which is described as the fusion between architecture and ecology with is designs for urban environments. Above is a drawing Bow Bridge a design of his that was never built dating back to 1977.
I spent quite a lot of time looking at this model of a city that is very similar to one that is still being built in central Arizona called Arcosanti. (I really need to get up there and get some photographs from that place.)
One of the docents in the room saw me taking photos and came over to show me this little guy, the only human figure in the model looking out of a round window. He couldn't be seen from anywhere except one position. I'm so glad she pointed him out to me.
They also had a few of the vintage Soleri bells on display. Soleri became well known for making these bells and his students still make them at his Paradise Valley studio today. You can see photos from that studio here and here.
Good exhibition from the look of things
ReplyDeleteI tried to get into Soleri's studio to make some bells, but my application was rejected. They said I was too much of a ding-a-ling already. I didn't think that was very nice!
ReplyDeleteRe the first shot: Love the drawing, but I can see why it was never built. Bridge to where? And it doesn't look like a bridge. I thought aliens had landed.
Isn't there some sort of self-contained environment currently underway in Arizona? Or did that crash from lack of interest and sheer boredom?
Soleri was a forward-thinking person and we need lots of those. The future is foreboding and we need minds that can think "out of the box" to help us deal with it and live in it.
Soleri’s work is so futuristic! The model is fascinating & I’m glad you found the little yellow guy!
ReplyDeleteGreat exhibition photos Sharon!
Thanks for the info, Sharon. I was thinking of the biosphere. I'm sure I remember when it was built and had a feeling it didn't work out too well but never knew what happened to it. Hope you have a great day!
ReplyDeleteThe city model is marvelous, Sharon!
ReplyDeleteThat is an exhibit I would love to see. For some reason I thought you had gone there once and shown us the pics. I wonder if it was Randy from Santa fe who had gone there?
ReplyDeleteA wonderful exhibition that would be interesting to see.
ReplyDeleteLove these!
ReplyDeleteSoleri was a con man, who required people who came to do his grunt work at Arcosanti to pay HIM for the opportunity. I tried to interview him once for the Voice of America but called it off when confronted with his incredible arrogance.
ReplyDeleteWas good to go back and look at his studio again Sharon. The city in central Arizona that's being built sounds fascinating, might have to do a wee bit of googling 😀 Always enjoy Lowell's comments don't you ☺
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