Product Description
In the writing of situationist Guy Debord, the concept of spectacle is essential as a critique of capitalism. The increased tendency of social mediation through objects makes our society fulfill authentic desires with commodities instead of with direct life experiences.
What if a souvenir is a collection of “situations” or “experiences” that we live directly?
The socio-political and cultural elements of the Queens Community District 3 make this fragment of New York City a composition of hundreds of “situations” constantly creating alternative life experiences in the shade of the city and its frantic consumerism and capitalist soul. Opposing this tendency, the community focuses on the richness of its inner values and authenticity. These micro-cosmos are composed by the intersection of three different neighborhoods, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and North Corona, with the most diverse coexistence of ethnicities, cultures, and beliefs.
Taking inspiration from this context, the project is generated through a geometrical algorithm that assembles an abstract grid and planes derived from the dimensions of the city blocks, while in elevation taking its aggregation logic from the New Babylon of Constant Nieuwenhuys layered out on the map of the three converging neighborhoods. The golden grid embodies a precious framework to display everyday episodes that best represent the identity of the community. This is a personal souvenir, an object in continuous evolution that relates to our individual experience, what we call the fifth dimension.
The grid is a stage for icons of the past and the present, and for new icons of the future: Louis Armstrong, Malcolm X, Ganesha, Buddha, Durga, the LGBTQ community. These are just few of the symbols, part of the community, that people identify with. It is up to whoever owns the gilded grid to fill the empty platforms with their own icons as a reflection of life experience.
What if a souvenir is a collection of “situations” or “experiences” that we live directly?
The socio-political and cultural elements of the Queens Community District 3 make this fragment of New York City a composition of hundreds of “situations” constantly creating alternative life experiences in the shade of the city and its frantic consumerism and capitalist soul. Opposing this tendency, the community focuses on the richness of its inner values and authenticity. These micro-cosmos are composed by the intersection of three different neighborhoods, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and North Corona, with the most diverse coexistence of ethnicities, cultures, and beliefs.
Taking inspiration from this context, the project is generated through a geometrical algorithm that assembles an abstract grid and planes derived from the dimensions of the city blocks, while in elevation taking its aggregation logic from the New Babylon of Constant Nieuwenhuys layered out on the map of the three converging neighborhoods. The golden grid embodies a precious framework to display everyday episodes that best represent the identity of the community. This is a personal souvenir, an object in continuous evolution that relates to our individual experience, what we call the fifth dimension.
The grid is a stage for icons of the past and the present, and for new icons of the future: Louis Armstrong, Malcolm X, Ganesha, Buddha, Durga, the LGBTQ community. These are just few of the symbols, part of the community, that people identify with. It is up to whoever owns the gilded grid to fill the empty platforms with their own icons as a reflection of life experience.
