A work of art when placed in a gallery loses its charge, and becomes a portable object or surface disengaged from the outside world.
Robert SmithsonRead
The slurbs, urban sprawl, and the infinite number, of housing developments of the postwar boom have contributed to the architecture of entropy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the negative impact of urban expansion on the environment and societal structures.
Robert Smithson's quote critiques the uncontrolled growth of urban developments that emerged after the war, suggesting that such expansion leads to disorder and deterioration, which he calls the 'architecture of entropy.' By emphasizing the chaotic nature of human development and the resulting effects on the landscape, Smithson encourages a deeper reflection on how modern living spaces may contribute to cultural and environmental degradation.
Themes
UrbanSprawlEntropyArchitectureDevelopment
In practice
Example use cases
During a talk on urban planning, one might quote this to highlight the consequences of unchecked development.
More from Robert Smithson
All quotes →When a finished work of 20th century sculpture is placed in an 18th century garden, it is absorbed by the ideal representation of the past, thus reinforcing political and social values that are no longer with us
Robert SmithsonRead
Instead of causing us to remember the past like the old monuments, the new monuments seem to cause us to forget the future
Robert SmithsonRead
A vacant white room with lights is still a submission to the neutral. Works of art seen in such spaces seem to be going through a kind of esthetic convalescence.
Robert SmithsonRead
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