Abstract
Spectacular urban development is closely linked to the photographic images of the designs that circulate globally. A wide array of pictures get used in all the different phases of the projects and widespread at all levels of public. This chapter brings representation and the media to the core of the debate on contemporary cities. It shows that photographic images have an active role in determining iconic and spectacular transformations—an “agency” that takes place, thanks to the multiplicity of professional figures that erode and complement one of the architects. The chapter addresses the theme of the spectacular through examples and analysis of photographic images of three different kinds: photorealistic renderings, professional architectural photographs and “spontaneous” photographs taken by amateurs and uploaded on social media, showing how different types of images are intertwined and functional to the construction of a real and virtual imagery of architectural icons and star architects.
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- 1.
This chapter derives from the broader research I conducted for my PhD, which I presented in March 2018 at the Ca′ Foscari University of Venice: Image Cities.Skylines,Renderings, and Icons Transforming Urban Landscapes. The dissertation text contains all the interviews cited in this chapter. A previous draft version of this chapter focused on architectural photographs and social media was presented at the VIII AISU Conference in Naples in September 2017, under the title “Souvenir e architettura spettacolare. La fotografia come agente di trasformazione urbana”. Both texts are in Italian.
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The interviewed photographers are Iwan Baan, Richard Bryant, Allan Crow, Dennis Gilbert, Fernando Guerra and Christian Richters. I could add my personal experience as a professional architectural photographer working in the field.
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The data were consulted on the official webpage of the World Tourism Organization http://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284418145
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Nastasi, M. (2020). Architecture of the Image: Photography Acting in Urban Landscapes. In: Alaily-Mattar, N., Ponzini, D., Thierstein, A. (eds) About Star Architecture. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23925-1_8
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