ARCHIGRAM INSTANT CITY: DRAWING AND SPECULATION
Archigram, an avant-garde architectural group formed in the early 60s, is known for their innovative, technologically inspired works, as they reflect and create hypothetical realities. In particular, his series 'instant city' appear as almost comical, as Archigram encapsulates the advancements within city scapes, often including powered vehicles or aircraft to comment on the innovatory realities created.
Analysis:
Peter Cook (Archigram), Instant City in a Long Elevation, 1969http://www.frac-centre.fr/_en/art-and-architecture-collection/cook-peter/instant-city-317.html?authID=44&ensembleID=113
Colour wheel: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jasmic/476359521
Within this sketch, I see numerous hot air balloons with shading over a constructed city scape, with inserted images and colour creations. The purpose of this collaged drawing is to comment on the cultural attraction of a city, as the contrasting colours and shapes communicate Archigram's attempt at making a pop-up-book aesthetic. This drawing is made though a virtual creation, whilst incorporating water colour patterns and contrasting patterns to communicate the ideas of an innovative city-scape, that functions within a futuristic setting. The arrangement of the subject within the image is the clustered hot air balloons, carrying the escalated upheaval of the city-scape. Archigram has made the outside lining of this image precise, as the ground and hot air balloon lining is darkened and accentuated. The background owns a ground relationship with the subject, as they are contrasted and manipulated to be interfering with the colour tones of yellow and red, as they are opposite on the colour wheel.
Peter Cook (Archigram), Instant City Visits, 1968. http://www.frac-centre.fr/_en/art-and-architecture-collection/cook-peter/instant-city-317.html?authID=44&ensembleID=113
Within this image, Archigram's Peter Cook incorporates a physical photographed feature with sketching and audio visual aspects. This technique produces a reality that is almost dream-like and lucid. The sketching gives off the impression of a blueprint, as the coloured shading is transparent and still shows the subject sitting behind. This organic sketch comments on possible future development within the environment photographed, as the sketching and physical surroundings are separated realities that Cook has created.
Peter Cook (Archigram), Black Air Ship, 1970. http://www.frac-centre.fr/_en/art-and-architecture-collection/cook-peter/instant-city-317.html?authID=44&ensembleID=113
This drawing 'Black Air Ship' is a different take on the instant city to what Archigram commonly does, as the colours are almost skeletal and glowing against the dark background. Cook inserts more written text than usual, in a comical bubble writing font. This indicates his take on technological advancements as habitual and adaptive, as the text reads "the blimp.. a natural development" and "it can be really anywhere". The blimp is seen to be carrying natural features, shown in the green and blue shading, representing water and greenery.
Sketching:
I delved into different sketching techniques that resonate with Archigram's pop-up-book perspective, in a computerised application and physical sketching. I came to the conclusion that the Illustrator drawings encapsulate Archigram's composition techniques more effectively. These sketches can be found within my 5 minute verbal powerpoint presentation: https://drive.google.com/drive/my-drive
Final sketches:
REFERENCE LIST
Instant City : Archigram Group. (1969). Das Werk : Architektur und Kunst = L’oeuvre : architecture et art, 56(11). https://doi.org/10.5169/seals-87411
Adriane Silvério Neto. (2016). Inventions in architecture – an analysis of instant city as an experimental architectural proposal. Pós: Revista Do Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Arquitetura e Urbanismo Da FAUUSP, 23(41), 52–75.
Hill, D. (2015). A Sketchbook for the City to Come: The Pop‐Up as R&D. Architectural Design, 85(3), 32–39. https://doi.org/10.1002/ad.1898
