For more than twenty years now; Blair Kamin of the Chicago Tribune has explored how architecture captures our imagination and engages our deepest emotions. A winner of the Pulitzer Prize for criticism; Kamin treats his subjects not only as works of art but also as symbols of the cultural and political forces that inspire them. Terror and Wonder gathers the best of Kaminrsquo;s writings from the past decade along with new reflections on an era framed by the destruction of the World Trade Center and the opening of the worldrsquo;s tallest skyscraper.Assessing ordinary commercial structures as well as head-turning designs by some of the worldrsquo;s leading architects; Kamin paints a sweeping but finely textured portrait of a tumultuous age torn between the conflicting mandates of architectural spectacle and sustainability. For Kamin; the story of our built environment over the past ten years is; in tangible ways; the story of the decade itself. Terror and Wonder considers how architecture has been central to the main events and crosscurrents in American life since 2001: the devastating and debilitating consequences of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina; the real estate boom and bust; the use of over-the-top cultural designs as engines of civic renewal; new challenges in saving old buildings; the unlikely rise of energy-saving; green architecture; and growing concern over our nationrsquo;s crumbling infrastructure.A prominent cast of playersmdash;including Santiago Calatrava; Frank Gehry; Helmut Jahn; Daniel Libeskind; Barack Obama; Renzo Piano; and Donald Trumpmdash;fills the pages of this eye-opening look at the astounding and extraordinary ways that architecture mirrors our valuesmdash;and shapes our everyday lives.
#2918367 in eBooks 2010-11-15 2010-11-15File Name: B004E8M9IU
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Producing Local CoorBy CustomerThis is a well written. well researcher book by Diane Grams where she has investigated local ethnic/cultural art in Chicago neighborhoods and how they have developed and grown through the years and the importance this has on the culture in the city and communities.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Producing Local Color changed my thinkingBy Paul KleinI thoroughly enjoyed this book and was reeducated by reading it. It made me much more aware of the decentralized ethic pockets of culture that exist within a city. Downtown invariably has an homogenized culture of museums and institutions that are an extension of white. European heritage. which may not even reflect the make-up most of those living within a city like Chicago. Outlying. local cultural centers and museums can be much more responsive to the communities in which they exist and correspondingly have a greater impact on peoples lives. Producing Local Color was an eye-opener. It has reoriented my thinking about how culture functions within a city. Probably worth reading again.
