Abstract
Why do architects gravitate to Italo Calvino’s (1974) Invisible Cities? At first blush, it might seem that Calvino’s fantastical imagery is what pulls an architect into the text. But it is his conversations with reality—in all its psychological, social, historical, and changing complexity—that lend his work its lasting impact. This meditation explores why Calvino’s work fascinates and inspires architects in particular. Reading Invisible Cities in relationship to architectural texts—that is, buildings and writings by architects—provides new insights into both. Four case studies from architecture—Il Teatro del Mondo (Venice), De Schalm Community Centre (Deventer), The Guggenheim (New York City), and The Shed (New York City)—are used to hold a mirror to Calvino’s Invisible Cities and reveal overlapping captivations.
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Fucigna, N. (2022). The Architect and Invisible Cities. In: Linder, B. (eds) "Invisible Cities" and the Urban Imagination. Literary Urban Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13048-9_19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13048-9_19
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