The Modernist, Issue 54: Outside

Grab a bag, pack your passport, camera, some sunglasses, swimming
gear, and sturdy shoes, because this issue of The Modernist is heading OUTSIDE.

Covering everything frome cemeteries, to art in supermarket car parks, The Modernist is a firm believer in getting out and about to enjoy and appreciate architecture and wider landscapes. While entering buildings is sometimes seen as the pinnacle of architectural appreciation, as Stefi Orazi points out in her reflections on the Perambulations series of walking guides, public streets and outdoor spaces are far more accessible and egalitarian. Indeed, Stephen Marland shows us how traversing the city on foot, by bike, or via public transport encourages the appreciation of neighbourhoods and sites outside the mainstream modernist canon.

As this is the Summer issue, some of the contributors are treating us to fabulous destinations where we can soak in the sun, sip a Campari and soda, and ponder the links between modernism and attitudes to outdoor lifestyles and open spaces – be it on an Italian bagni, next to a Norwegian fjord, or even in the largest nudist village in the world (which is in the south of France, if you’re wondering).

Hedonistic pursuits certainly have their place, but there is also room in this issue for what Eleanor Moselle describes as the ‘whimsical functionalism’ of ENI Village – a holiday resort in the Italian Dolomites, designed in the mid-1950s for the workers and families of a multinational energy company. Fast forward to the late 1980s where we’re introduced to the Glasgow Garden Festival. As Lex Lamb explains, this ambitious civic event was a resounding success which transformed perceptions of a rapidly deindustrialising city.

This editorial is signed off with some words from Richard Brook: “Fieldwork is intrinsic to the  study of architecture.”

Think of this issue of the modernist as an exercise in armchair fieldwork, in the hope it might inspire you to get OUTSIDE this summer. There are plenty of modernist sights to see and places to visit if you know where to look.

Published by The Modernist
Softcover

72 pages
200 x 200 mm
ISBN 977204629000454