Paul Scheerbart (1863ndash;1915) was a visionary German novelist; theorist; poet; and artist who made a lasting impression on such icons of modernism as Walter Benjamin; Bruno Taut; and Walter Gropius. Fascinated with the potential of glass architecture; Scheerbartrsquo;s satirical fantasies envisioned an electrified future; a world composed entirely of crystalline; colored glass.In 1912; Scheerbart published The Light Club of Batavia; a Novelle about the formation of a club dedicated to building a spa for bathingmdash;not in water; but in lightmdash;at the bottom of an abandoned mineshaft. Translated here into English for the first time; this rare story serves as a point of departure for Josiah McElheny; who; with an esteemed group of collaborators; offers a fascinating array of responses to this enigmatic work.The Light Club makes clear that the themes of utopian hope; desire; and madness in Scheerbartrsquo;s tale represent a part of modernismrsquo;s lost project: a world based on political and spiritual ideals rather than efficiency and logic. In his compelling introduction; McElheny describes Scheerbartrsquo;s life as well as his own enchantment with the writer; and he explains the ways in which The Light Club of Batavia inspired him to produce art of uncommon breadth. The Light Club also features inspired writings from Gregg Bordowitz and Ulrike Muuml;ller; Andrea Geyer; and Branden W. Joseph; as well as translations of original texts by and about Scheerbart. A unique response by one visionary artist to another; The Light Club is an unforgettable examination of what it might mean to see radical potential in absolute illumination.
#3245325 in eBooks 2010-05-18 2010-05-18File Name: B003NE61H6
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Sustainable itself!By SeanAs a landscape architect employed by a firm that prides itself in the practice of sustainable design. I was eager to dig into its contents to confirm whether it was worth the purchase or if it was another book capitalizing on the popularity of the topic. It was not the latter. I find it not only has the relevance a practicing professional will find applicable to todays design problems. but in many ways its lessons are grounded in principles one may apply in the future. Sustainability. however one defines it. has a common denominator of timelessness. This book has that and because it is like-minded in its approach. we find solace in referencing it often. Worth the purchase.
