The Godfather of Mockitecture?

I recently discovered the work of Gaetano Pesce, an Italian designer and wanted to share the good news with the rest of the eWorld!  I may have just discovered the Godfather of Mockitecture!!!  Images speak louder than words, so below are a few samples from his 1970 Moloch floor light, a playful experimentation with scale (4X, to be exact).  Also below, an exerpt from the book 1000 Lights, which sums up his work quite poetically.

"Gaetano Pesce was and remains a willfully provocative voice in Italian design.  He sees the subversion of convention as an expression of freedom and as something to explore.  Pesce has experimented with materials and forms.  His designs are among the most exuberant and challenging to emerge from the Anti-Design movement.  Ever playful, while passionately committed to his ideas, he has turned his attention to the Moloch floor light (1970-71) and to the question of scale.  Rather than redesign a successful existing concept, he has simply scaled it up four times the originally intended size, turning the conventional into the disconcerting."

Mockitecture on Flickr

An oversized parking meter...

I found this gem by dialing up the internets. (Which we all know is a series of tubes.) My congratulations to OmarOmar, you have a true eye for mockitecture.

BarCode Building by Vitruvius & Sons

Yes, Vitruvius. This building is expressive of function. Literal references connect with the public, and convey messages more efficiently and directly than abstract imagery. Depending on context, this can be very useful. [more...]

The Front Lines: S U P E R S I Z E D stuff

Follies From France

I've always been fascinated with questionably large, over-scaled objects in the landscape.  They make me feel so small and unimportant::

International Competition for Inventive Architecture

International Design Competitions are the breeding grounds for ideas like mockitecture.  The International Competition for Inventive Architecture, judged by Peter Cook of Archigram, is one such competition.  This year's competition was sponsored by the nation of Cyprus.  Cypriot architecture has a rich history and is now at the center of modern Cyprus.  Politically and culturally, Cyprus is the bridge between the Middle Eastern and European people.

Two of the main traditions in contemporary Cypriot culture are coffee and backgammon.  This submission is a monument to those two cultural mainstays.  Excerpt of design intent below:

"Representing a new attempt at distinction, the return to pure form, the coffee house and public open space have been reinterpreted.  The iconic building references two activities essential to the Cypriot coffee house... coffee and backgammon.  these literal references engage and educate tourist, giving the coffeehouse new meaning.  Bouy-tables allow the open public space to reorganize itself, extending throught the beach and into the water itself."

Homunculii

The longer you stare at this picture, the funnier it gets. Don't think its funny? You haven't looked at it long enough!

The picture is rich with layers of hilarity. At first, the funny little guy in the front is strikingly goofy. He looks so OK with the situation. The giant baby holding him up also looks very alright with what is happening. What gets me about this picture is the simplicity with which it was assembled and disassembled. With a few clicks of the mouse, a veritable pandora's box of ridiculous is opened.

Chlorine Dream

I've been away for a few weeks, working for Obama. I apologize if any of you have gone through withdrawal-like symptoms over the last month. But, not to worry...Look at this huge pool. It is like the ocean, but the colour of a swimming pool.

The Birth of Mockitecture.

This is the true birth of Mockitecture. It happened sometime back in the summer of 2005. I was doing some iterations of possible fenestrations for a building, and I just kinda drew a 19'-0" x 20'-0" double hung window. After a few minutes I looked at it and said, "Why Not?" It immediately caught on, and a movement was born. Dubbed "Mockitecture," The double hung window was the first time when Post-Modern tenents were resurrected, using familiar and modern language.

The double hung never made it past that first iteration. However, its spirit lives on, and now it is presented in multiple ways in one building. The Double Hung Window Building. Enjoy!

One side has multiple double hung windows arrayed like a sprawling suburban neighborhood. They are simply stacked on top of each other. The next window features a sort of "double hung lollipop" where a double hung is propped up on a post independant of the building. It is placed in front of a fixed window, forcing the user to look through it. On the next side is a curtain wall ornamented to look like a double hung window. Very Large.

Another idea would be to have a glass garage door ornamented to look like a double hung. Or use double hungs as a soffit. The possibilities are endless, but the image stays the same. It would truely resonate with everyday peoples' experience. And that means something.

trees by MDRDV

--..Yes, You Can.

Distortions of scale. Irony. Unexpected convention. This is a play on the expected convention, a flower in a pot. A full size tree in a pot is unexpected convention, familiar objects in an unfamiliar arrangement, context, juxtaposition, or use.

This is a tower by Eduardo Francois. He is really into these tree-covered buildings.

Goofy Massing. Legible Form. New Spatial Experience.