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Rem Koolhaas Exhibit at the New Museum – 5/29/11

Rem Koolhaas Exhibit at the New Museum – 5/29/11

On Sunday, I visited the 3,600-square-foot exhibition, “Cronocaos”, by OMA / Rem Koolhaas at the New Museum, located at 231 Bowery.  “Cronocaos” presents a critical analysis of the role of preservation in architecture and urbanism.  The site of the exhibition is extremely well fitting, “The Bowery itself is a laboratory of CRONOCAOS a neighborhood transitioning from the ragged rule of punk, flophouses, and restaurant supply stores to the uniform regime of the white cube” where the idea of preservation and demolition are constantly being questioned.

Preservation is a global concern.  The impact ranges from a single building, a monument, a neighborhood to a country.   Architects have become increasingly environmentally conscious.  Their focus has been shifted from creating structures to merely impress the current trends to designs that carry the seed of the future.  The goal is to retain a culture’s unique heritage while moving forward at a rapid pace.  Innovation with respect to history is instrumental in this case.

Rem Koolhaas has demonstrated many critical issues in this exhibition.  The bold graphics along with the stripped down character of the space make this exhibition exceptionally powerful.

For further reading on this exhibition, visit New York Times