Archizoom: No-Stop City
After the World War II, following with the Marxist theories growth interpreted the architecture and after war city need to rebuild, then the architecture in Europe started modernism style which makes the cities have same looking because the buildings are same. In 1968 Archizoom associati’s members create the project named No-Stop City and published in the following year in Casabella, Italy and they work until 1972. No-Stop City is an unbuilt project that only has drawings and photos which clearly illustrated their manner of seeing the relation between city and architecture at that time. Moreover, as Branzi (2006) said “No-Stop City originates involves the beginnings of the crisis in modern politics” Archiaoom presented No-Stop City to against modernism. However, the utopian city is always a myth and a dream.
Archizoom Associati draws a city with a Typewriter which shows a city is a place that people activity and move. On one hand, drawing with automatized or mechanized instrument makes every single point are same which is significantly show every architecture is same. On the other hand, drawing with automatized or mechanized instrument and have the same point makes people think this is endless and growing city. (Figure 1)
Figure 1: A map drawing with typewriter (By Archizoom)
Figure 2: A drawing of Sydney harbor by typewriter (Draw by Xiang)
This drawing shows the main avenue, park, harbor, bridge and the main living quarters. Following with continuing points, we can clearly know the city is unlimited and the points mean the modernism architecture which looks same. (see Figure 2)
Figure 3: A image of interior (By Archizoom)
The technique that Archizoom drawing for the interior is One-point perspective which is from the close-by examples to those far off, the objects smaller and smaller which make people feel like the room are unlimited. Besides, all the interior images or drawings have no window and the room looks like in a box which is unlimited and infinite. (Figure 3)
Figure 4: A drawing of classroom (Draw by Xiang)
I use the same technique with Archizoom, and I found out drawing this is not difficult, but the idea and theory are meaningful and powerful. However, they did not create a different city, but they try to let people to realized what does the city looks like at present-day. Overall, the value of this project is not they provide a design, but they try to use this critical design to change the world.
Reference
Branzi,A. 2006: No-stop city : Archizoom associati
Draw a city with a Typewriter in Branzi, Andrea No-Stop City, Archizoom Association (Orléans: HYX, 2006)
