Architecture and Design
part of a coherent learning experience
about the subject matter. While focus is on
the theme of the mosques, the itinerary
points to other subjects of interest on the
way, enriching the tour. The simplified
maps with their numbering systems are a
helpful guide providing direction and
pointing to subjects of interest. Cross-
references between different itineraries,
maps and segments of the text are an
additional help in connecting buildings
with context. The further reading list and
glossaries are additional help for those
with a long-term interest in the subject
matter. This is a book that will reach a
wide audience interested in Islamic archi-
tecture and culture in general and those
curious about the architectural heritage of
Turkey in particular. It will be read by
serious scholars and adventurous travel-
lers, filling a gap in the body of work
available on the subject.
rafi samizay
Washington State University
FROM AUTOS TO ARCHITECTURE:
FORDISM AND ARCHITECTURAL
AESTHETICS IN THE TWENTIETH
CENTURY
david gartman
Princeton Architectural Press 2009 d38.00 $60.00
400 pp. 80 mono illus
isbn 9781568988139
I
t is not surprising, given the economic
turmoil in which we find ourselves,
that architecture is being viewed and
assessed in different ways than it has
for the past few decades. As it is the most
social of arts – concerned, above all, with
human habitation – it is timely to think
about its power to satisfy practical needs,
affect the environment, and alter social
relationships. Straddling a position be-
tween popular and high art, it provides
places in which to live, meet, work, and
relax, while on another, more abstract
level entirely, it offers a narrative about our
society and culture.
Writing a history of the art and science
of building, even for an architect or
historian familiar with the subject matter,
is a daunting task but David Gartman,
Professor of Sociology at the University of
South Alabama, has done reasonably well.
His latest venture builds on a previous
work, Auto Opium (Routledge, 1994), a
compelling look at the US automobile
82 The ArtBook volume 17 issue 4 november 2010 r 2010 the authors. journal compilation r 2010 bpl/aah
industry’s sophisticated assessment of
cultural trends among working people
and its reliance on ever-changing styling
to sell its products. The consumption-
based analysis used in that book is here
applied to architecture.
Promoted by its publisher as ‘a critical
alternative to standard architectural his-
tories’, the work is a modest contribution to
a literature that tries to analyse and evaluate
our culture through its built artefacts.
From Autos to Architecture begins at the
start of the twentieth century when mass
production was first introduced in the
manufacture of automobiles – the author’s
point of reference – and concludes in the
first decade of this century as human
participation in the industrial process is
minimised by computer-controlled ro-
botic assembly. In the preface, Gartman
sets out his concept and method, citing
the German social/cultural critic Theodor
Adorno and French sociologist Pierre
Bourdieu as his theoretical mentors. His
strongest influence, though, was his own
background as worker and academic, a
blend of diverse experiences that provided
insights into his cultural world.
Gartman’s use of the term ‘Fordism’
refers to the assembly-line process devel-
oped for the manufacture of the Model T
automobile between 1909 and 1927, an
innovation that significantly lowered pro-
duction costs, increased corporate profits
and provided industrial goods at prices
affordable to the average worker. This
proto-consumerism was transformed by
an ever-increasing need to sell new goods
that forced each industry to continually
restyle its products. The phenomenon
made its way into building design, and
Gartman deftly traces the evolution of
architectural styling in relation to con-
current social, political and economic
circumstances by looking at dozens of
examples in Europe and the United States.
While recognising the differences be-
tween the production and consumption of
automobiles and buildings, Gartman tries
to establish connections between them, an
approach that seems tenuous. The pro-
duction of automobiles is extensively
rationalised and automated, and hundreds
of thousands of near-identical examples
can be produced under precise factory
conditions. Most buildings are still cus-
tom-designed and hand-assembled ac-
cording to programmatic and contextual
conditions unique to each. Even fast-food
restaurants or petrol stations that look
alike are modified to satisfy site-specific
demands. To be sure, many aspects of
building design and construction have
been highly rationalised by the use of
factory-made components and advanced
assembly techniques, but the end product
rarely reflects this visually. Gartman tends
away from discussion of the technological
differences between today’s buildings and
those of previous decades because, for the
most part, those differences are invisible,
unreadable as narrative ‘code.’
Several technical issues with the book
should be mentioned. The writing, though
generally clear, reads like an early draft of
the final text. There is simply too much
repetition of thoughts and words that a
good edit could easily have corrected. The
jargon, familiar to anyone reading contem-
porary sociology or architecture theory,
tends toward the trendy and arcane. What,
for example, does ‘dirty urban realism’
mean to a layman? The material itself is
engaging enough that the author might
have found a way to make it more accessible
to ordinary readers, as he did in Auto Opium.
Finally, while the chapters are extensively
annotated, the index seems truncated, with
names found in the text appearing nowhere
in the alphabetical listing.
That said, From Autos to Architecture must
be considered a brave foray into new and
important territory, an often cynical and
unforgiving look at the curious moves and
motives of building stylists as they create
the commodities we call works of archi-
tecture. As the market for unnecessary
products dwindles, and many architects are
finding themselves out of work, the tough
questions Gartman poses in his analysis
and critique are more relevant than ever.
michael kaplan
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
EXHIBITION DESIGN
philip hughes
Laurence King Publishers 2010 d22.50 $35.00
224 pp. 226 illustrations
isbn 1856696405
G
ood design is an important and
ethical concern for all who are
involved in the art industries – yet
despite the significance we place upon this
field it is very difficult to find texts that
treat the subject in an intelligent manner.
Exhibition Design by Philip Hughes aims to
fill this void by serving designers as they
anticipate creating meaningful, useful and

well-designed exhibitions. Part textbook
and part field guide, this is a book that
provides the nuts and bolts for organising
an exhibition properly, with the exceptional
results we expect from a top-rate designer.
Overall, Hughes thoroughly explores the
field and introduces some planning aspects
that caused me to rethink how I teach
exhibition design in my own institution.
Design is an important component in
revered institutions such as the Smithson-
ian but it is also a valuable aspect of
shopping mall displays. A vast and diverse
field, it is a tough subject to address
sufficiently in text form and still remain
relevant to a serious student or profes-
sional. Hughes does this well by sticking
to the components of successful design
and avoiding themes that would limit
appeal or helpfulness. Instead, he elo-
quently covers practical tasks such as
preparing readable signage, and concep-
tual responsibilities such as creating an
exhibition strategy and layering educa-
tional theory. Applicable in a variety of
situations, the text reads like a practical
guidebook for professionals and knowl-
edgeable students. The chapters are organ-
ised into expected categories that cover:
the visitor, lighting, the site, and exhibi-
tion strategy. Hughes also develops chap-
ters on overlooked aspects of design such
as materials, sound and film, and con-
struction. From these chapters, one gets
an appreciation of how large and encom-
passing the field of exhibition design is
and the many ways the text can be applied.
While not entirely practical for the average
student, the text will be the type of guide
prospective curators and designers will
keep on their reference shelves.
Beginning with the history of exhibi-
tion design, Hughes discusses personal
collections as the starting point for our
contemporary galleries and museums.
These personal collections are part ware-
house and part educational opportunity
for the interested friend or visitor, but our
exhibition aesthetic is quite a bit different
from the eclectic and narrow personal
collections of yesteryear. The modern
display has obvious roots in twentieth-
century art, where the Bauhaus schools of
arts and crafts had an enormous impact on
the way this design became mainstream
and part of our collected understanding of
what good design entails. Many artists
who taught or were educated at the
Bauhaus school reinvented art education
and art exhibition spaces. Spatial relation-
r 2010 the authors. journal compilation r 2010 bpl/aah volume 17 issue 4 november 2010 The ArtBook 83
ships were never the same, as designers
changed the environment and the way we
experienced it. As modern movements
escalated through the twentieth century,
so did exhibition design. Subsequent
movements each had their own unique
impact. Hughes’ text does not reinforce
this tradition so much as acknowledge the
past before suggesting the many layers
that complement a well-designed exhibi-
tion. The possibilities for creating an
experience through design have height-
ened our expectations as visitors of
museums and galleries. Design profes-
sionals are therefore asked to do so much
more than our modern predecessors. The
images Hughes selects for his text display
these lofty expectations and illustrate that
there is much more than aesthetics to good
design. The developments in educational
theory and technology have transformed
exhibitions into interactive experiences that
blur boundaries of between education,
branding and entertainment.
Design is a vital aspect of our culture
and serious study of its characteristics is
needed. Exhibition Design is a welcome
addition to the field and is a much-needed
contribution. The strongest aspect of the
text is its extension beyond the visual arts
and discussion of exhibition opportunities
in a variety of contexts. The quality of
concept drawings, photographs, and com-
puter drawings adds to the impact upon
the reader. Hughes’ text is easily transfer-
able to other fields and adequately ad-
dresses the explosion of opportunities for
designers around the world. The white box
has become the stereotypical starting
point for exhibition design in the visual
arts. The open and sparse characteristics
Architecture and Design
Natural Architecture by Grimshaw. From Exhibition
Design by Philip Hughes. Photo: Lee Mawdsley and
Robin Clark.
of modern museums epitomise the mini-
mal aesthetic descended from Bauhaus
principles. Nonetheless, there have been
quite a few developments since the early
twentieth century that have altered our
experience for the better and Hughes
attempts to encapsulate these for the
reader. By breaking down these practical
aspects of exhibition design into digest-
ible chunks, Hughes has created a resource
that will remain a practical guidebook for
the student or seasoned professional.
g james daichendt
Azusa Pacific University
THE MODERN WING: RENZO
PIANO AND THE ART INSTITUTE
OF CHICAGO
james cuno, paul goldberger,
and joseph rosa
The Art Institute of Chicago 2009 d35.00 $60.00
168 pp. 167 col/23 duotone illus
isbn 978-0-300-14112-2
T
he last 13 years – a period which we
may call the post-Bilbao era, after the
iconic Guggenheim Bilbao (1997) in
Spain – have seen dozens of ambitious,
high-profile construction projects at major
art museums around the world, resulting
in either grand expansions or entirely new
buildings, often designed by the so-called
‘starchitects’ of the contemporary scene.
Although the economic downturn of
recent years appears to have somewhat
dampened the exuberance shown in earl-
ier projects, we continue to see the