Humanity has been in search of utopia for millenia, and while many have attempted to construct the perfect society, the large majority of 20th century architectural attempts have failed to be executed (Le Corbusier's Ville Radieuse is a notable example). Many simply remained in the early stages of planning, positioning and development, lacking crucial elements that would allow a ‘utopia’ to become a successful, fully functioning settlement.
‘Yesterday’s Future’, a new exhibition at Frankfurt’s Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM), aims to examine such ideas with a retrospective of works showcasing architectural investigations into utopian living. Displays include a selection of projects by two legendary practices; Future Systems – in operation from 1979 to 2008, headed Czech architect Jan Kaplický and British architect Amanda Levete – and 1960s avant-garde group Archigram, including well known core members such as Sir Peter Cook.
From brightly coloured collages, to technical drawings and filigree architectural models, the show presents several of Archigram’s architecture experiments. The practice’s concepts were designed for survival within deserted, dilapidated and inhospitable environments, coinciding with times of social upheaval and the Moon landing, an era defined by new beginnings. 1964's ‘Walking City’, one of the firm’s most well-known projects, is a concept for a community, which would act as an autonomous mobile organism, comparable in shape to a giant insect. ‘Walking City’ would allow humans to settle in – at the time – uninhabitable climates and possibly even other planets.
Archigram’s work is juxtaposed with Future Systems' designs, which were conceived some 20 years later, at the height of the Cold War. The latter's body of work includes a series of self-sufficient capsules positioned in natural surroundings or nestled within densely populated urban spaces. ‘Shelter’, envisioned in 1985 by Kaplický, is a large, transportable, umbrella-like structure designed to provide shelter to roughly 190 people during the Ethiopian famine in 1984–85. The visually intriguing ‘Peanut’, created in 1984, is a kinetic pod-like wilderness dwelling, designed for two. It can twist and turn at the residents' will, allowing for a variety of different views.
The show's displays include a selection of projects by two legendary practices; Future Systems – headed by Czech architects Jan Kaplický and Amanda Levete, in operation from 1979 to 2008 – and 1960s avant-garde group Archigram. Pictured: 'Coexistence (Project 112)', by Future.
From brightly coloured collages, to technical drawings and filigree architectural models, the show presents several of Archigram’s architecture experiments. Pictured: 'Walking City (Project 064)', by Archigram, 1964.
The practice’s concepts were designed for survival within deserted, dilapidated and inhospitable environments, coinciding with times of social upheaval and the Moon landing, an era defined by new beginnings. Pictured: Future Systems' concept for the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, 1989.
Frankfurt Kindergarten; a 1991 Future Systems project.
Future Systems' ‘Peanut’, created in 1984, is a kinetic pod-like wilderness dwelling designed for two. It can twist and turn at the inhabitants' will, allowing for different views of the surrounding nature.
INFORMATION
’Yesterday’s Future’ is on view from 14 May – 18 September. For more information visit DAM’s website
ADDRESS
Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM)
Schaumainkai 43
60596 Frankfurt/Main
-
The Jeep Avenger 4xe The North Face Edition is equipped for bouldering and boulevard cruisingThe North Face Edition of the Jeep Avenger 4xe sits at a stylish intersection of off-road ability and all-weather performance
-
Touring artist Glenn Ligon's studio in Brooklyn with its architect, Ravi RajGlenn Ligon's studio, designed by architect Ravi Raj, is an industrial Brooklyn space reimagined for contemporary art
-
Eleven extraordinary fashion exhibitions to see before the summer is out2025 has seen a renaissance of the fashion exhibition. From niche openings to blockbuster retrospectives, the Wallpaper* style team select the shows to see this summer, wherever you are in the world
-
The Monthly Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s favourite July housesFrom geometric Japanese cottages to restored modernist masterpieces, these are the best residential projects to have crossed the architecture desk this month
-
Visiting an experimental UK home: welcome to HousesteadThis experimental UK home, Housestead by Sanei + Hopkins, brings together architectural explorations and daily life in these architects’ own home
-
A house in Leamington Spa is a domestic oasis infused with contemporary sensibilitiesThis house in Leamington Spa, by John Pardey Architects, brings together flood risk considerations, a conservation area's historic character, and contemporary sensibilities
-
A garden explaining carbon capture in nature? Head to Kew in LondonKew unveils 'Carbon Garden', a new offering at London's Royal Botanic Gardens that's all about carbon capture within nature; and how plants and soil can be leveraged to help us battle climate change
-
An old war barracks is transformed into a charming Dorset Beach HouseNestled in its coastal setting, a redesigned barracks home in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty becomes a contemporary Dorset beach house by Architecture for London
-
Studio Bark has transformed a Victorian villa into an eco-friendly family homeA Victorian villa in the South of England has been overhauled with new low-energy systems and a self-build addition to create a home fit for the future
-
The inimitable Norman Foster: our guide to the visionary architect, shaping the futureNorman Foster has shaped today's London and global architecture like no other in his field; explore his work through our ultimate guide to this most impactful contemporary architect
-
A guide to modernism’s most influential architectsFrom Bauhaus and brutalism to California and midcentury, these are the architects who shaped modernist architecture in the 20th century
