Thoughts on The Mall and Junkspace
The origin of the modern mall is absolutely fascinating in
my opinion. Inspired by Benjamin’s Arcades Project in
France and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, Italy, the modern mall
is an interior interpretation the exterior streetscape.
The history of the American mall inspired within me, a revelation.
It is a completely fabricated architectural experience: an imitation of a
public downtown streetscape that is completely removed from any urban context. The
mall is a secluded and confined indoor urban environment that has changed the
way suburban America experiences their collective lives. Endless storefronts,
crowds, street vendor carts, benches, plants, trees, fountains, and even cars…these
elements typically found on an urban street can also be found within the mall ‘streetscape,’
and in my opinion enhances the fakeness of an already fabricated experience. It’s
like having a fake snowy Christmas tree in your house during the holidays. The snow
(because it clearly is not actually snowing in your living room) only enhances the
fakeness of your already fake tree.
So the question, is this “privatization of public
space,” where all relevant life is happening indoors considered
Junkspace? I would say yes, but only because of its—almost cheesy—fakeness.
I think the galleria in Milan is inherently different from our modern understand of a mall because that space is still public (even if it is actually private). Because of it's proximity to the Plaza in front of the Duomo and the multitudes of people in that area, the space is very "public." Very different from an american mall with it's clear boundaries and privatization.
ReplyDeleteIt is fascinating to think that there are few, if any, successful American malls. Even when malls become outdoor outlets, these shopping experiences will never add up to the comfort of the galleries in Europe. Something is lost in the translation and it appears that we are not learning from the architecture as we should be.
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