Over the last decade; parametricism has been heralded as a new avant-garde in the industries of architecture; urban design; and industrial design; regarded by many as the next grand style in the history of architecture; heir to postmodernism and deconstruction. From buildings to cities; the built environment is increasingly addressed; designed and constructed using digital software based on parametric scripting platforms which claim to be able to process complex physical and social modelling alike. As more and more digital tools are developed into an apparently infinite repertoire of socio-technical functions; critical questions concerning these cultural and technological shifts are often eclipsed by the seductive aesthetic and the alluring futuristic imaginary that parametric design tools and their architectural products and discourses represent.The Politics of Parametricism addresses these issues; offering a collection of new essays written by leading international thinkers in the fields of digital design; architecture; theory and technology. Exploring the social; political; ethical and philosophical issues at stake in the history; practice and processes of parametric architecture and urbanism; each chapter provides different vantage points to interrogate the challenges and opportunities presented by this latest mode of technological production.
#238704 in eBooks 2016-04-12 2016-04-12File Name: B010MHAC9E
Review
58 of 61 people found the following review helpful. Dont buy on Kindle!By wonder timeWanted to give a heads up for all readers NOT to buy this on Kindle. Much of the importance of the book lies in the authors descriptions of the art. It is important to be able to actually see the art. but Kindle only shows it in black and white. And it is desirable to flip back and forth. to read the authors description and then look at the plate. This is very complicated on Kindle. That being said. I pushed myself to read about 1/3 through and finally decided shouldnt be selling this on Kindle. I wrote to complain and they. within minutes. gave me a full refund of my Kindle price. I have now ordered the book version.Again. this has been hard to read on Kindle. but it seems to me the author skips around quite a lot. Shell describe a picture and then move on. and then return to the picture later. Maybe this all makes sense in a book version. but it seems to me the choice of organization is not the best. The descriptions are very interesting though. lots of quotable ideas. but again it was hard to compare what she was saying to the art itself in the Kindle.I should know better to never buy non-fiction on Kindle -- I love to underline as I read and its just not the same on Kindle. Plus sometimes I like to go back and refer to something earlier that the author wrote -- again. very difficult to do on a Kindle. So this book has convinced me -- no more non-fiction on Kindle unless its very lightweight stuff.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Glad I read it.By William M.Its a good read if you like art history. even if you are not especially knowledgeable. Youll learn about Velazquez. the English court. the Spanish court. and the risks of collecting art before provenance was recorded and valued. The descriptive passages have a Sister Wendy feel about them that can be charming. but the breathless awe can get a bit tiresome. On the other hand. Velazquez deserves awe and it is delivered for the right reasons. The book made me want to study the paintings more carefully online and in modern collections. and return to the Prado! You can do much worse than this - 4.5 stars.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Charles in Spanish costumeBy Anne PhillipsLaura Cumming leads us along the trail of her search for any information on the lost portrait of Charles I (when Prince of Wales) done by Velazquez. The Prince and his companion Buckingham are in Madrid in pursuit of the unwilling Infanta Maria Theresa. The suitors are behaving badly. the King is broke. Velazquez is painting and getting paid handsomely. "One of Charles pageboys had died of heatstroke. and fights between servants and soldiers were breaking out." How this painting came about remains a mystery. but it definitely was made because we have a record of the exorbitant price the English paid. Cumming describes Velazquez paintings in wonderful language beginning with the large canvas of Las Meninas in the Prado. the painters mustache. the little Infanta. the courtiers positions. Then she notes other paintings and the sure brushwork of the painter that was admired even when he was alive. This is the very best part of the book! Interwoven in the Velaquez tale is the story of Snare. the 19th century bookseller from Reading and his obsession with the missing portrait painting of Charles. This portrait of Charles I existed. after all he paid an exorbitant amount for it. However. its whereabouts are unknown. Had the bookseller Snare located the painting in a closed boarding school? He seems very certain. acquires the painting. asks experts. exhibits the painting. turns down handsome offers and then becomes entangled in bizarre lawsuits (told in entertaining detail). Broke. Snare escapes to New York. ekes out a living. dies. What ever happened to the painting? No satisfactory ending to the story. Snare remains a dubious character. someone obsessed. There are several unanswered questions at the end.The best way to read this book is as a Kindle book on a computer. The links work beautifully. and the display of the paintings is even better on screen than in the printed book
