Lissitzky on Broadway Gough

5/17/2018 Lissitzky on Broadway Gough

1/13

Gough

Mahe Josephson discoered he grea anonmous poer

o mericahe erses and aderisemens rien in lighs in

he nigh s o Chicago and Ne or.

l issi

In our counr he main emphasis is placed no on he spors

record bu on phsical culure ha is he culure o he bod.

l issi

l issisecord eord fig. presens a lone

and anonmous ahlee on he erge o clearing a hurdle.

His orard moion is guided b his ousreched le arm

he hand and fingers o hich are almos amphibian in heir

sreamlining. Inensel illuminaed his bod conspicuousl

unmared b he rappings o an eam or sae is subsan-

ial enough o cas an elongaed sainlie shado across

he rac. e a he same ime his phsical densi is drain-

ing aa merging ino he elecrified urban nighscape ha

surrounds him. In a e places such as he conouring o

his loer righ leg he rough cuing o phoographic mae-

rial flaens his bod alogeher. he nighscape meanhile

comprises a double- and prolonged-eposure phoograph

o he hear o Ne orsheaer disric ih is rusho illuminaed signage and marquees rapping boh sides

o Broada as i snaes is a norh rom imes Square

o abou h Sree. Dominaed b he incandescen bulbs

and flashing sncopaed lighs o he Cenral and Srand

heareshe laer announcing child acor and Charlie

Chaplin prog Jacie Coogan on is sage as ell as he

perormance o a lobser palace cabare on is roohis

alread orld amous sreescape also eaures ha ere

hen a noelcolored neon ime-based aderising

eraaganas perormed da and nigh. Sreaing across

is loer reaches adjacen o he rac he headlighs

o auomobiles and rolle cars race donon in bohconsonance and compeiion ih he hurdler. issis

capiaing combinaion o nighscape and hurdler produces

a double uopian anas: a human bod poered b he

elecrical field in hich i is embedded and a he same

ime poering ha er field hrough he conersion o is

on hermal and ineic energ ino elecrici.

In addiion o his prin in he homas alher

Collecion a he Museum o Modern r Ne or o

urher prins o ecord eis one in he priae collec-

ion o hea Berggren in Chicago fig. and he oher

issi on Broada

subsaniall runcaed in he collecion o he ussian ar

hisorian Niolai hardhie no a he Sedelij Museum

in mserdam fig. . noher ersion a somehasmaller prin in collage orm ha is no a he Meropolian

Museum o r Ne or is called unner in he Cifig.

.In his phoocollage issi goes one sep urher

in his ques or dnamism animaing he phsical maerial-

i o he prin isel in a a ha has direc implicaions

or he sense o moemen i cones: b slicing he prin

ino en-eigh erical srips and mouning hese on

hie paper a inerals o roughl one hir-second o an

inch . mm issi dramaicall eends he lengh o

he hurdlers leap. his in urn increases he sreamlining

ll ors b l issi 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New Y ork/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

fig. l issi aar Maroich issi. ecord eord. . elain silerprin " . . cm. he Museum o Modern r Ne or.homas alher Collecion. i o homas alher MoM .
http://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/artists/3569.htmlhttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/cultural_hubs/10.htmlhttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/materials/glossary.html#collagehttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/materials/glossary.html#collagehttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/cultural_hubs/10.htmlhttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/artists/3569.html


2/13

Gough

fig. l issi aar Maroich issi. ecord.. elain siler prin " . . cm. Collecion o hea Berggren Chicago

fig. l issi aar Maroich issi. ooresa oopis eord. .Collodium prining-ou paper mouned on paper ". . cm. SedelijMuseum mserdam. Niolai hardhie Collecion

fig. l issi aar Maroich issi. unner in he Ci. . Collage gelainsiler prin " . . cm. he Meropolian Museum o r Ne or

fig. l issi aar Maroich issi. ecord.. elain siler prin collage " . cm. alerie Berinson Berlin


3/13

Gough

o his bod and acceleraes boh his eloci and ha o

he sreescape. noher closel relaed prin currenl a

he alerie Berinson in Berlin fig. is similarl sliced

ino a phoocollage bu is no double in idh presening

o differen hurdlers he second dar-haired and bespec-

acled his bod much more inangible han he firs.hough

boh ahlees are merged ih and surrounded b he same

nighscape he doubling o heir number inroduces a

narraie dimensionhe race agains one anoher asmuch as agains he Ne or raffic. inall a small uncu

prin o he le hal o he Berinson phoocollage is pre-

sered a he ussian Sae rchie or ieraure and r

I in Mosco.

ll si prins ere produced hrough sandich prin-

ing a darroom echnique herein negaies are combined

in he film carrier o he enlarger and hen prined ogeher

as a single image. Precisel ho man negaies ere used

is a maer o conenion: Margaria upisnsuggess

hree ahlee rac nighscape hile laus Pollmeier

concludes ha ahlee and rac derie rom a single nega-

ie or a oal o jus o.Bu heher o or hree hesingle elemen definiiel idenifiedin erms o is original

sourceis he Broada nighsho fig. hich as

aen in or b he hen nn rborbased Danish

archiec and laer inormaion designer nud nberg-

Holm.issi mainained a correspondence ih he

archiec in he mid-s aer heir iniial meeing a he

eimar Bauhausin Jul shorl beore he ormers

emigraion o he Unied Saes. hough nberg-Holm

ould become non or his urban nighshos his paricu-

lar one appears o be his onl suriing double-eposure. B

prolonging he firs eposure and hen moing slighl he

posiion o his camera and reopening is shuer ihou

haing adanced he film he doubled he rush o Broadas

illuminaion eponeniall increasing is capaci o blur.

his phoograph enjoed a cerain noorie a he ime in

par due o is reproducion under he ile Broada a Nigh

in he erman archiec rich Mendelsohns idiosncraic

and idel celebraed phoographic sure o he norh-easern and midesern merican archiecural landscapemeria: Bilderbuch eines rchieen merica: n archiecs

picure boo.

his phoo albumabou hich e ill hear more

in he hird secion o he presen essaas mos liel

issis source or Broada a Nigh. I is no surprise

ha he aris chose his paricular phoograph raher han

an o he oher nighshos reproduced herein or i is he

onl one ha eplicil resiss he proper operaion o he

camera insoar as i is a double-eposure o a single nega-

ie. Insances o such resisance heher deliberae or

inaderen held special ascinaion or aan-garde ariss

lie issi ho ere primaril ineresed in eploring

he creaie raher han erisic poenial o phoograph.

Ineresingl een Sergei reao he ershile uuris

poe and leading adocae o acograph in boh lieraure

and phoograph in he laer s and earl s ould

acnoledge he alue o he so-called phoographic

deec oografichesii bra.I is also orh noing haBroada a Nighaccompanied reies o Mendelsohns

album published b boh Chrisian eros in Cahiers

dar and Mosei inburg in he flagship journal

o Consruciis archiecs Soremennaia arhieura

fig. nud nberg-Holm. Ne or: Broada a NighNe or: Broada beiNach. Page in rich Mendelsohn. meria: Bilderbuch eines rchieenmerica:n archiecs picure boo. Berlin: udol Mosse Bucherlag . he Museum oModern r ibrar Ne or. he nud nberg-Holm rchie rom he MarcDessauce Collecion

fig. ll-Union Prining rades hibiion Mosco. Insallaion design bl issi.all
http://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/materials/glossary.html#double-exposurehttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/materials/glossary.html#double-exposurehttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/assets/essays/Tupitsyn.pdfhttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/assets/essays/Pollmeier.pdfhttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/schools/4.htmlhttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/schools/4.htmlhttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/assets/essays/Pollmeier.pdfhttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/assets/essays/Tupitsyn.pdfhttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/materials/glossary.html#double-exposurehttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/materials/glossary.html#double-exposure


4/13

Gough

Conemporar archiecure . hus hen issi

seleced nberg-Holms nighscape or manipulaion in hedarroom i as an image alread ell in circulaion.

Once hough o hae been made in ecord has

been persuasiel redaed o b Peer Nisbe ho

idenified he presence o a prin o he image in an insal-

laion ie o he ll-Union Prining rades hibiion

sesoiunaia poligrafichesaia saa in Mosco hich

issi designed in all fig. . Nisbe also correlaed

his ehibied prin o an iem lised in he accompaning

caalogue under he ile ecord Muliple posure.hileecords producion hus pos-daes issis reurn o

Moscoin mid- in order o paricipae in he collecie

projec o Soie reconsrucion i coninues o eemplia leas in erms o echnique he eperimenal hrus

o his earl or in phoograph during he hree and a hal

ears he had jus spen in esern urope. his earl or

inoled he manipulaion o eising phoographic maerial

raher han geing behind he lens o a camera hough

here as indeed some o ha as ell. issi had firs

combined phoographic ragmens in a or-able se o

collages prepared as maquees or he illusraion o Shes

poesei o legih onsah Si ales ih eas endings

a collecion o shor sories b he Paris-based Soie rier

fig. l issi aar Maroich issi. ur Schiers. . elain siler prin " . . cm. he Museum o Modern r Ne or. homas alherCollecion. i o Shirle C. Burden b echange MoM .

Ila hrenburg ih hom he coedied he shor-lied ri-

lingual magaine eshchegensand Obje Objec in

Berlin. hereaer hoeer issi seems o hae deoed

himsel o eperimening in he darroom deploing a range

o echniques popular among ariss a he imesuch as

muliple eposure superimposiion roaion sandich

prining and he phoogramin he producion o com-

ple e plaul phoographic composiions ha requenlmemorialied his dialogue and riendship ih leading mem-

bers o he pan-uropean aan-garde such as iampe

Helioonsruion olin collaboraion ih he de Sijl

aris ilmos Husr In he Sudio and ur

Schiers fig. . hese earl phoographs are as eah

Dicerman suggess less an unmediaed record o he phe-

nomenal orld . . . and more he produc o handling.

issi coninued o hold ou or such eperimenal

procedures in he ears immediael aer his reurn o

ussia. Indeed a he ll-Union Prining rades hibiion

he presened his phoographic eperimens as a ne caego-

r o producion alogeher ha o oopisphoo-paining

or alernaiel ligh-paining a neologism he coined

in an effor o gie a precise name o he hbrid medium o

his on deeloping darroom pracice. Unlie paining

he ries in he accompaning caalogue oopispains is

image ih ligh direcl on . . . phoographic paper.In a

Ma aricle published in Soesoe ooSoie phoo

he goes urher insising ha or phoograph o becomeoopisha is a orm o ar raher han simpl a mechani-

cal process or he inscripion o empirical realii canno

be reduced o geing ino ocus and releasing he shu-

er. Insead i mus deelop he properies ha lie in he

phoographic maerial isel hrough he epansion o

phoographs possibiliies: firs b acnoledging camera-less phoograph i.e. he phoogram and second here

camera negaies are in pla b escheing direc conac

beeen hem and he phoographic paper and so orh

rom one and he same negaie i is possible o achiee

arious impressions depending on he angle o is place-

men in relaion o he paper on he direcion and srengh

and number o ligh sources. issis proseliaion

o oopisis no narrol ormalis call or medium specifici

or is on sae hoeer bu raher an asserion ha a

rue undersanding o he naure o he medium proides

he aris ih one more means o influencing our con-

sciousness and our emoions.he ulimae goal o oopishus ull accords ih issis lielong ineres in maser-

ing echnologies o mass persuasion.

On he one hand oopissims agains he ide o

Soie phoographic pracice o he lae s ih is

increasing orienaion oard he documenar poenial

o he medium. On he oher hoeer is signaure

eperimenal echnique o sandich prining gained con-

siderable racion across he specrum o phoographic

praciioners and as quicl ransormed rom a once

sel-consciousl aan-garde procedure music-hall un
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5/13

Gough

la Dada is ho issi migh hae described i in rero-

specino a phoographic ernacular or communicaion.

remarable case in poin is eorgii iminser finel

deailed negaie sandich Uniled Monage ih Sel-

Porrai and Building fig. herein he smilingace o a oung manhough o be he aris himselis

merged ih an eleaed ie o a raila saion plaorm

effeciel uniing he indiidual subjec ih he social

space o his eerda lie. en as lae as March e

find he phoojournalis Semon ridlanda member o

he ussoe obshcheso prolearsih oograo ussian

socie o prolearian phoographers or OP hich

opposed he or o he Oiabr Ocober associaion o

hich issi had belongedarguing in aor o nega-

ie sandiching in he hper-prolearian phoomagaineProlearsoe oo Prolearian phoo. ridland dismisses

boh he more amiliar cu-and-pase mehod on hegrounds ha i alas leads he beliees o alse impres-

sions o iolen acion upon he phoograph and also

he muliple eposure o a single negaie hile i is sill

in he camera oo complicaed he assers. In his on

or ridland eplains he preers o sandich o or

more negaies in he enlargers film carrier. Illusraing his

aricle are hree eamples o he process ha are clearl

inended o encourage darroom eperimenaion b he

noice prolearian phoomoneur o hom he journal as

eplicil addressed.

e i ecordconinues issis earl phoographic

eperimens albei under he no quie differen condi-

ions o Soie reconsrucion i also depars rom hose

precedens. Mos cruciall oopisis no longer deploed in

he producion o an auonomous or o ar bu insead

has a job o doi has become a design ool. Since his

reurn o archiecurehe field o his earl proessionalrainingaround issi had been using phoo-

collage and phoomonage in he presenaion o arious

projecs or he buil enironmen such as he enin ribune

a reoring o an earlier draing b Ila

Chasni o include a phoograph o enin himsel and his

horional cloudscraper olenbgel fig. .

hese are imporan insances o he a in hich in he

s phoograph began o rial or a leas operae in dia-

logue ih archiecures radiional presenaion medium

ha o draing.

Bu ecordis somehing else againa maquee

or a phoographic mural a ac confirmed b issis

auograph annoaion o he aoremenioned prin in he

hardhie collecion a he Sedelij. his annoaion

reads oo-resa oopis eord Phoo-

resco phoo-paining ecord and is olloed

b he ariss signaure see fig. .Hihero lile

non his annoaed prin esseniall confirms he broad

ermsi no he ile per seo Peer Nisbes hpohei-

cal idenificaion o he Meropolian Museums relaed

phoocollage unner in he Cisee fig. ih a or lis-

ed or ehibiion b issi in Noember under he

ile perimen or a resco or a Spors-Club.o he bes

o m noledge issis annoaion o he hardhie

prin represens his firs usage o he ord resco resain a posiie manner. On o earlier occasions he had

fig. eorgii imin. Uniled Monage ih Sel-Porrai and Building. . elainsiler prin " . . cm. he Museum o Modern r Ne or.homas alher Collecion. i o homas alher MoM .

fig. l issi aar Maroich issi. olenbgel ie o NiisaiaSquare rom Niisii Bouleard. . Phoomonage ih in and colored pencil " . cm. ussianSae rchie or ieraure and r Mosco
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6/13

Gough

dismissed he medium as an obsolee orm o picorial pro-

ducion is once ial public and communicaie uncions

usurped b he prined boo and more recenl b he ne

pograph boh areas in hich he himsel had been cru-

ciall inoled oer he course o he las decade.

Bu ih he deah o easel paining loudl proclaimed

b leading members o he aan-garde including issi

himsel here as reneed ineres in he mid-s inhe collecie public address hisoricall afforded b resco.

he mos noable proagonis o he mediums reial as

Diego iera hose eraordinar ccle o rescoes in he

ne Secrearia o Public ducaion in Meico Cihad been

lauded in b he poe ladimir Maaos as he

orlds firs Communis mural.ih ecord hoeer

issi proposes a quie differen pah o he recoer

o he communicaie uncion ha had once belonged o

resco namel he rescaling o he phoographic image

rom he space o he page o he epanse o he all. In

oher ords jus as phoograph had plaed a e role in

he ransormaion o he field o pographical design so

oo he belieed i ould be essenial in an reurn b ariss

o he all. Indeed ecord mars he incepion o he er

mediummonumenal phoographha ould become

cenral o issis pracice as an inernaional rade-air

ehibiion designer in he laer s and s. Insalling

monumenal phoographic ensembles in he Soie pailions

he designed or he Inernaional Press hibiionPressa in

Cologne in in collaboraion ih Sergei Senin he

Inernaional Hgeine hibiion in Dresden in and he

Inernaional ur rade hibiion in eipig also in

issi ould mobilie oopison a massie and unprec-

edened scale or he purposes o educaion enlighenmen

and propaganda.ecord and anoher phoographic prin b he aris

on a similarl spors-relaed heme ooballer fig.

ere almos cerainl inended or insallaion a heMehdunarodni rasni sadion Inernaional red sadium

or MS a as comple o spors sadia and perormance

spaces ha as under planning and consrucion on a sie

in souhes Mosco or almos a decade. Originall pro-

posed in b Niolai Podoisii a par and goernmen

official perhaps bes non as he ounder o he mass

phsical-culure massoaia fiulura moemen in he

Soie Union he MS came o hae hree main objecies:

he improemen o he healh and hence he produciio ussian orers b encouraging heir acie paricipaion

in phsical culure raher han simpl passie consumpion

o spor b champions he hosing o socialis compei-

ions i.e. prolearian Olmpics in hich Soie ahlees

ould compee agains inernaional eams composed o

members o oreign communis paries and orers orga-

niaions and he proision o gian open-air heaers or

he saging o mass acions in hich he radiional diision

beeen perormer and specaor ould be eliminaed.he

MS as in shor a major projec o socialis sae building.

issi became inoled ih he MS hrough hismembership in a group o archiecs and archiecural

sudens non as he ssosiasiia noh arhieoro

ssociaion o ne archiecs or SNO ih hom

he began o or soon aer his reurn o Mosco.ed

b Niolai ados a proessor o archiecure a he

hUMS he SNO compleed he e planning and

design or or he MS beeen and . ados

as paricularl ecied b he phsical challenges o he

proposed sie hich as bounded on hree sides b a

seeping semicircular loop in he rier Mosa and emcom-

passed boh he seep incline o he enin Hills ormerl

Sparro Hills and also he flood plain ha la direcl oppo-sie uhnii. SNOs iniial design or responded

enhusiasicall o his difficul hillside errain proposing

ha a series o sadia be cu lie erraces ino is seep

incline fig. . er he geological sabili o he hillside

as called ino quesion hoeer design effors ere reo-

cused on he as plain across he rier.

he ull een o issis inolemen in he MS

projec is unnon. In leers o Sophie ppers in ugus

he menions onl his design o a ach club on he

enin Hills sie presenaion draings or hich are no

fig. l issi aar Maroich issi. ooballer. . elain siler prin " . . cm. leander aplan Ne or
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7/13

Gough

presered in he Sae reao aller.Bu a ach club

ould seem o be an unliel locaion or he insallaion o

he phooresco ecord gien is iconograph. more prob-

able locaion migh hae been he sies proposed spors

club hich as designed o conain no onl indoor spor-

ing aciliiessuch as a running racbu also audioria

inended or culural enlighenmen and he dissemina-

ion o inormaion o isiing paricipan-specaors. he

spors club as projeced as he brain and pulse o heMS comple oerall as ados pu i.Is design en

hrough arious ieraions oer he course o SNOs

hree-ear inolemen a he sie bu arguabl he mos

deeloped proposal as ha o he hUMS suden

and uure landscape archiec Mihail orhe fig. .

In is aonomeric reamen o olumes hisspors club

bears he clear influence o issis prouns hich is no

surprising gien ha he aris had resumed eaching a he

hUMS b Januar a he laesand he design

ormed par o orhes MS-dedicaed diploma projec in

o . here is eidence o sugges ha issi con-

sidered orhes diploma projec o be SNOs definiie

conribuion o he MS sie since he discusses iand

reproduces hree draings rom iin his boo ussland a

sure o he reconsrucion o Soie archiecure under

socialism published in ienna in .

I e can imagine issis phooresco ecord

insalled in orhes Spors Club e can also imagine iselecrified and elecriing record-breaing champion hurdler

inspiring no onl sar ahlees o perorm eraordinar

eas on behal o he orld prolearia bu also ordinar

Soie orers o paricipae aciel in mass fiulura

phsical culure. Beond he immediae realms o spor

and phsical culure hoeer e migh also imagine ecord

sering a larger ideological uncion one o encouraging

hose er same orers o accelerae heir producion a

he acor bench in order ha he oo migh achiee a

ne record in erms o labor producii and hereb

pla heir par in shoring up he success o he orlds firs

orers sae.

Bu i he purpose o ecordas he culural enlighen-

men o he prolearian subjec ho are e o undersand

issis sarling conjuncion o he hurdlerha figure

o producion ho oercomes all obsacles on he pah o

Soie reconsrucionih Broadas imes Square one

o he greaes icons o esern consumer culure? Ho

migh he relaionship beeen ahlee and nighscape

beeen producion and consumpion beeen communism

and capialism be defined and elaboraed? ha in he

end is he meaning and significance o heir conjuncion?

Is i simpl a picuring o Soie riumphalism or isiors ohe MS? Or is i somehing more comple han ha?

Beore e can anser his quesion e need o

reurn or a momen o Mendelsohns meriaas noed

earlier issis mos liel source or he imagein

order o consider he a in hich he erman archi-

ec rames nberg-Holms Broada b Nigh. issi

and Mendelsohn had firs me in a a conerence in

Sugarand hen again in in Mosco hen he

laer isied ussia in connecion ih an imporan com-

mission rom he Soie goernmen o design a eile

acor in eningrad.Mendelsohn sen issi a cop o

meriaimmediael upon is publicaion a he end o. n oersied album inches . .

cenimeers comprising some seen-seen blac-and-

hie phoographs prined on medium-eigh paper b

a phoomechanical prining process non as heliograuremeriais a record o he erman archiecs raels in

he Unied Saes in all .

unded in par b his publisher and recen clien he

Berlin nespaper and publishing gian udol Mosse ho

as eager o ener he burgeoning mare or phoographi-

call illusraed nespaper supplemens Mendelsohn

fig. Niolai ados ih ladimir rinsii and ohers. Mehdunarodni rasnisadion Inernaional red sadium Mosco. Perspecie.

fig. Mihail orhe. Spors club or he Mehdunarodni rasni sadionInernaional red sadium Mosco. onomeric ie.


8/13

Gough

isied Ne or Buffalo Deroi nn rbor Chicago

and Madison. He me ih nberg-Holm in Chicago and

nn rbor and also ih ran lod righ a his esae

aliesin jus an hour es o Madison.he hic blac

horional double bands rapping merias ron and

bac coers ere no onl a signaure moi o Mendelsohn

himsel bu also he nel adoped aderising logo o

he Mosse media empire or he headquarers o hichhe archiec had jus recenl compleed a major renoa-

ionone noes in paricular Mendelsohns projecing

baldachin rapping around he buildings corner enrance

consising o a double ro o horional bands. In par due

o he paronage o he erman media gian he readership

or Mendelsohns phoo album eended a beond archi-

ecural circles. Berol Brech or eample included i on

his Chrismas lis o he Bes Boos o along ih

en ulp-Millers he Mind and ace o Bolsheism.

ih is epanse o cream hie paper meria

smacs o he delue coffee-able raelogue bu ha is

mos sriing abou he album is is unconenionali b

conemporar sandards ih respec o is chosen sub-

jec maer camera iepoins and commenaries. es

i includes some landmar merican buildings bu also

man anonmous ones and no onl ron acades bu also

rear acades bac alles and enire sreescapes as ell

as grain eleaors and billboards. nd een hen major

monumens are included such as he oolorh Building

on Broada he are sho di soo in su and hus do no

cone he so-called maser o he moi hen conenion-

all epeced o archiecural and rael phoograph.

Such parial and een disurbing camera iepoins asci-

naed readers. or eample he same phoograph o he

oolorh Building shos up o ears laer in he pageso he Consruciis journal Noi leNe le here

lesandr odchenouses i o bolser his polemic agains

conenional phoographic perspecies in aor o he

oblique angle.

Pars o merias preace and man o is com-

menaries on indiidual phoographs are borroed rom

Mendelsohns diar o his rip and leers o his ie

ouise.In hese oen ellipical prose ragmens he

archiec epresses he deep srucural ambialence pi-

cal o he pan-uropean phenomenon o merianismus

mericanismon he one hand sheer ascinaion ih

merican echnological proess in consrucion and soorh and on he oher biing criicism o real esae

speculaion and unregulaed urban groh and deelop-

men ha he calls in a leer o eis Mumord mericas

hisorical erigo.In issi himsel had penned

an essa on he phenomenon o mericanism among

uropean archiecs.ien ha meriais oen desc-

ribed as a subjecie personal record o he archiecs

journe i is orh emphasiing ha onl abou a hird o

is phoographs ere in ac aen b Mendelsohn conrar

o he albums misleading subile ih phoographs

fig. Spread rom rich Mendelsohn. meria: Bilderbuch eines rchieenmerica:n archiecs picure boo. Berlin: udol Mosse Bucherlag . he Museum oModern r ibrar Ne or

fig. nud nberg-Holm. Deroi. Page in rich Mendelsohn. meria: Bilderbucheines rchieenmerica: n archiecs picure boo. Berlin: udol MosseBucherlag . he Museum o Modern r ibrar Ne or. he nudnberg-Holm rchie rom he Marc Dessauce Collecion

b he auhor.Despie his aareness ha Mendelsohn

as no he auhor o all is phoographs issi

neerheless reieed he album er aorabl and a

lengh in he ebruar issue o Sroielnaia promshlen-

nos he building indusr noing ha is pages hrill

us lie a dramaic film and ha o undersand some o

is oblique-angle phoographs ou mus li he boo oer

our head and roae i.

Broada a Nighsee fig. appears ihin a secion

o he album called he roesque an archiecural erm

ha Mendelsohn uses in a broad and pejoraie sense

o reer o he disorder disorion eaggeraion and biarre

combinaion o unlie elemens ha he perceies o be

characerisic o he merican ci as a consequence o
http://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/publications/789.htmlhttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/artists/4975.htmlhttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/artists/4975.htmlhttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/publications/789.html


9/13

Gough

hich he dalingl hie ne sscraper caching he sun-

ligh shines promisingl and oerpoeringl .

Bu or Mendelsohn he greaes proagoniss o he

urban groesque ere respeciel he billboard and he

relaiel ne phenomenon o ineic and illuminaed ader-

ising boh o hich he decried as haing been alloed o

prolierae ihou consrain hereb desroing an sem-

blance o archiecural order in he merican ci. On hecorner o Seenh enue in Ne or fig. or eample

he finds a groesque conusion o real buildings and alse

rons. Billboards all as a house leap ino he gaps beeen

buildings is he aes ase and bloc enire acades.

Disruping an orderl relaions o scale he Miado pencil

in he billboard a upper le ries is message across

hree sories . Comparable senimens underpin his

negaie commenar on nberg-Holms nighscape hich

begins ih a single ord unheimlich uncann o eoe

he eird sensaion o double-ae or disorienaion ha is

engendered in he human subjec b he roce fire

o moing illuminaed aderisemens emerging and sub-

merging disappearing and breaing ou again oer he

housand auos and he maelsrom o pleasure-seeing peo-

ple. n ecess o moing illuminaed aderising oblieraes

he once discree boundaries o archiecural orms he ries

and he conours o he buildings are erased .

Mendelsohns meriahus added an archiecural

oice o he groing criique o illuminaed aderising b

social heoriss on planners and aderising eecuies

all o hom argued ha hile he ne echnolog had had

remendous success in simulaing he ci dellers ner-

ous ssem o consumpion is unregulaed implemenaion

had produced a sensor oerload ha had compromised

is er efficac. In urope calls ould soon be made or issringen regulaion ih Broada Ne or repeaedl

singled ou as he Ur-eample o he echnologs sel-

deeaing implosion. In or eample Mendelsohns

compario rns Ma hen sering as ranur ci archi-

ec argues ha on Broada

he ee can read no ords disinguish no orms or i is simpl

blinded b an ecess o gliering lighs a plehora o lamps

hich cancel ou each ohers effec. . . . O course aderise-

mens mus arac aenion i he are o ulfil heir purpose

bu hen he all r o surpass each oher scream louder han

heir neighbor hen aderising loses is sense and becomes

merel oerbrigh sree-lighing.

issi or his par shared neiher Mendelsohns ani-

e abou illuminaed aderisings ruhless desrucion

o archiecure nor Mas belie ha i blinded as much as

enlighened. On he conrar in his essa on mericanism

he celebraes he ne echnolog assering ha he

merican rier Mahe Josephson an ershile finan-

cier and no spoesman o he radical le group had



unregulaed real esae speculaion and chaoic urban

deelopmen. he groesque aes man orms. he

all Sree end o Broada or eample Mendelsohnfinds i in a las leafless sapling fig. hich or him

signifies naures groesque marginaliaion a he hands

o culure: he las breah o he las bi o naure he

lamens paheic in conras o he hardness o he sone

oers.In Deroi fig. he encouners a groesque

conusion o scale: an isolaed building groing ihou

resrain almos lie ropical egeaion sreching

up suddenl and unannounced oer he eising houses

. bac sree o Chicago urns up a groesque

archiecural chiaroscuro fig. : a dar creasse ino


10/13

Gough

discoered he grea anonmous poer o merica he

erses and aderisemens rien in lighs in he nigh s

o Chicago and Ne or.ccordingl in his reie o

meria e find lile race o Mendelsohns disenchan-

men: Illuminaed signs urn he sree ino an eerie heare.

lashing and sreaing lighs reads issis simple and

affecless gloss on he archiecs sharpl negaie commen-

ar on he scene represened in nberg-Holms Broada

a Nigh.urhermore in his darroom manipulaion o

ha scene issi eacerbaes he er spaial conusion

ha had so aggrieed his erman colleague. inding he

moemen o auomobiles and rolles reduced o pure

luminous races shooing hrough he srees issi

accenuaes his effec in ecordb also dragging he hori-

onal lines o he rac across he breadh o he monage.

here nberg-Holm reduces he sense o perspecial

deph b double-eposing he same negaie issi

flaens space sill urher b adding he rigidl ranserse

orienaion o he ahlees head and bod hereb aug-

mening he reducion o perspecial deph oerall. here

illuminaed aderising erases no onl he conours o build-

ings as Mendelsohn remars bu also he er messages

i is supposed o cone issi hasens heir implosion

scrubbing ou ords and passages in he darroom such

as in he ghosl oal space immediael o he righ o he

hurdlers head.

Unlie Mendelsohn issi hries on he gro-

esque he biarre combinaion o unlie elemensha

is in a sense inrinsic o his pracice o oopis. In ecord

urhermore he proposes he groesque on a massie scale

hereb bringing o mind he merican billboard as much as

he ancien ar o resco. ha said here remains one un-

damenal aspec o Mendelsohns commenar ih hich

issi ould surel hae agreed namel he erman

archiecs ulimael dialecical and hus no simpl nega-

ie concluding remars concerning he scene capured b

nberg-Holm. or i Mendelsohn endlessl lamens he a

in hich ineic and elecric signage desros he archiec-

ural inegri and clari o he urban enironmen he also

insiss ha ihin ha er desrucion lies a beau aai-

ing is ull realiaion: Sill disordered because eaggeraed

he ries o Broada a Nigh bu all he same alread ull

o anasic beau hich ill one da be complee .

similar conicion undergirds issis enhusi-

asm or he ne echnolog o illuminaed aderising an

enhusiasm rooed in his longsanding ineres in modern

echnologies o mass persuasion irrespecie o heir proe-

nance. iing in a puaiel regulaed econom under

Communism enabled he aris o imagine neons redemp-

ion rom he rabid hands o capial in hich i haddeeloped and prolieraed and hus o imagine also is

uure sae o perecion o hich Mendelsohn reers.

Mosco is deeloping ino a orld ci ha is rue issi

ries o ppers in ugus all he discoeries in he

capialis orld are olloed ih he greaes ineres so

as o mae use o hem here or he general public. ar

rom riumphalis sagger hereore his merging o hurdler

and Broada nighscape assers insead boh he possibil-

i and desirabili o a grand snhesis o Soie poer and

esern echnolog. Harnessing he profligae illuminaion

fig. Neon illuminaion o acade o he Mososaia gosudarsennaia elerichesaiasansiia Mosco sae elecric poer saion Mosco or he enh nniersar

o he Ocober eoluion. ighing design b ladimir and eorgii Senberg. .rchie o I. M. Bibioa


11/13

Gough

o imes Square or he purpose o socialis sae-buildingecordis hus a picorial ormulaion ha renes one more

ime enins amous bale-cr or naional elecrificaion:

Communism is Soie poer plus he elecrificaion o he

enire counr.

hough his proposed phooresco as neer realied

and he MS projec abandoned alogeher b issi

ould go on o insall one monumenal phoographicensemble aer anoher in he Soie pailions he designed

or large-scale inernaional rade airs in he lae s and

earl s. s or his Soie-mericanis desire or he

repurposing o illuminaed aderising as he ne epres-

sie means or culural enlighenmen in he orers sae

ha ould soon be ulfilled. Oer he course o he

firs ne poer saions proposed in enins elecrifica-

ion plan o had finall come on sream hus enabling

a long-aaied epansion in he use o elecrici beond

he all-imporan realm o indusrial producion alone. he

public celebraions o he enh nniersar o he Ocober

eoluion hich ere held oer seeral ees in Noember presened he perec occasion or he firs major

Soie use o Broada-sle illuminaion. On counless

roos and acades are gleaming leers o fire ha hro

a red glo oer he ci aler Duran repored in heNe or imes.or he acade o he Mososaia gosu-

darsennaia elerichesaia sansiia Mosco sae elecric

poer saion or MOS on he rier Mosa fig.

he Consruciis brohers ladimir and eorgii Senberg

designed a plehora o red neon inscripions Ocober en

ears o he Dicaorship o he Prolearia Communis

insignia hammer and sicle he ed rm sar and een an

image o enins head as boh reoluionar leader and propo-

nen o naional elecrificaionall flashing on and off lie he

simming fish o he amous rigles cheing-gum sign ha

hen occupied he upper sor o an enire bloc o Broada.

In donon Mosco meanhile he phoojournalis

and uure filmmaer oman armenmade a number o

prolonged-eposure nighshos o Serdlo Square and SoieSquareo e sies o he anniersar esiiiescapur-

ing heir uer deamiliariaion a he hands o a eriable

cacophon o flashing colored neon signage sreaming head-

lighs and glaring sreelighs. Unheimlich een groesque

Mendelsohn migh hae cried. No so issi ho once

oned he prin o armens specacular Mosco Illuminaions

Celebraing he enh nniersar o he ussian eoluion

Mosa nochiu oiabrsie dni fig. ha is no in

he homas alher Collecion.his prin bears races o

pencil reouchingaround boh he sreelamps a upper righ

and he leers o enins name a ar righ hile a hos o

seeping graphie lines acceleraes he soosh o headlighs

jus righ o mid-cener. Perhaps issi hough abou incor-

poraing Mosco Illuminaions ino a phoographic ensemble

mouned on he prined page or on he all a mural-scale?

I is impossible o sa especiall since e do no no ho

as responsible or he reouching or hen i as done.

ha e do no hoeer is ha in he ae o he neon

fig. oman armen. Mosco Illuminaions Celebraing he enh nniersar o heussian eoluionMosa nochiu oiabrsie dni. . elain siler prin

" . cm . he Museum o Modern r Ne or. homas alherCollecion. bbo-e Collecion unds b echange MoM .

fig. l issi aar Maroich issi. ed sar Die Pressa Cologne.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/artists/24463.htmlhttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/materials/glossary.html#retouching-additivehttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/materials/glossary.html#retouching-additivehttp://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/artists/24463.html


12/13

Gough

ransormaion o donon Mosco or he anniersar

celebraions o issi designed a gian floodli red

sar as he cenerpiece o his oercroded Soie pailion

a he Inernaional Press hibiion Die Pressa in all

arlier dras o his essa ere

presened in Madison nn rbor

and Palo lo beeen and

. M arm hans o he

organiers o hose eens espe-

ciall Jordana Mendelson and o

Mira bbaspour or more recen-

l enabling is final reision.

. l issi mericanism

in uropean rchiecure

rasnaia nia no.

rans. in Sophie issi-ppers

l issi: ie eers esNe or: hames and Hudson

p. .

. l issi Spor u. a. in

ussland: Die eonsruion der

rchieur in der Sojeunion

ienna: erlag non Schroll

Co. p. . Unless oher-

ise noed ranslaions are b

he auhor.

. phoographic reproducion

o he Meropolian Museum

o rs phoocollage is presered

a he Sae reao aller

Mosco. s seeral scholars

hae noed unner in he Ci

bears an ineresing relaion

morphologicall speaing o

issis oom or Consrucie

ra he Inernaional hibiion

held in Dresden in summer

on hich see Maria ough

Consruciism Disoriened: l

issis Dresden and Hannoer

Demonsraionsrume in Nanc

Perloff and Brian eed eds.

Siuaing issi: iebs Berlin

Moscoos ngeles: e

esearch Insiue pp.

.

. l issi ecord.

Phoocollage . cm

. alerie Berinson Berlin.

. or a reproducion o he I

prin see O. M. ubio l issi:

esperiena della oaliMilan:

Mondadori leca .

. See Margarea upisns

caalogue enr in her l issi:

perimens in Phoograph

Ne or: Hou riedman

p. and laus Pollmeier

l issis Mulilaer

Phoographs: echnical

nalsis on his ebsie.

. -mail correspondence ih

Marc Dessauce ugus and Sepember .

ccording o Dessauce nberg-

Holm used a high-quali small

camera and did no mae his on

prins apparenl preerring o

hae his phoographs processed

a a local camera sore.

. rich Mendelsohn meria:

Bilderbuch eines rchieen mi

phoographischen unahmen des

erassers Berlin: udol Mosse

erlag .

. On reao and he phoo-

graphic deec see Maria ough

adical ourism: Sergei reiao

a he Communis ighhouse

Ocober no. all : .

. or he original daing o

ecordo see issi-

ppers l issi: ie eers

es plae . or is redaing o

c. see Peer Nisbe n

Inroducion o l issi in l

issi Cambridge

Mass.: Harard Uniersi r

Museums p. n and

Nisbe l issi in he Proun

ears: Sud o His or

and hough PhD diss. ale

Uniersi p. n

and p. n .

. eah Dicerman l issis

Camera Corpus in Perloff and

eed Siuaing issi p. .

. l issi hudohni

proiodse in sesoiunaia

poligrafichesa saa:

PueodielMosco p.

rans. slighl modified in

Margaria upisn Bac o

Mosco in l issi: Beond

he bsrac Cabine: Phoograph

Design CollaboraionNe Haen

Conn.: ale Uniersi Press

p. see also upisn

er iebs in Perloff and eed

Siuaing issi pp. .

. l issi oopis

Soesoe oo no. Ma

: rans. Peer Nisbe as

Phoograph in Jan Debbau e

al. l issi : archiec

painer phoographer pographer

indhoen: an bbemuseum

p. .

. issi uses his phrase in

anoher cone in a Sepember

leer o ppers see

issi-ppersl issi: ie

eers es p. .

. See Semon ridland

ooreporer deliasia op-

om: I praii oomonaha

Prolearsoe oo no. March

: .

. similarl mouned and

annoaed prin o issis

Hans rp is ound in one

o lesei ruchenhs phoo

albums presered a he ussian

Sae rchie or ieraure and

r I . op. ed. hr.

l. or a reproducion see

upisn l issi: Beond he

bsrac Cabine p. .

. See Peer Nisbe l issi

in he Proun ears p. n .

. In our ime issi ries

in ugus he boo has

become ha he cahedral ih

is rescoesand sained glass . . .

used o be see aar issi

Noaia ulura Shola i reoliu-

siiaiebs nos. ugus

: rans. Peer Nisbe as

he Ne Culure in perimen

sperimenos ngeles no.

: emphasis added. In

issi assers ha he old

rescopaining is replaced b he

ne pograph see l issi

pographische asachen .B.:

rans. Helene ldincle

as pographical acs inissi-ppersl issi:

ie eers es p. empha-

sis added.

. See ladimir Maaos

M Discoer o merica

rans. Neil Cornell ondon:

Hesperus Press d p. .

Inied o he Soie Union or

he enh nniersar celebra-

ions in Noember iera

subsequenl spen almos

eigh monhs on he ground in

Mosco ring o promoe mural

paining see eah Dicerman

eis Circuis in Dicerman

and nna Indch-ope Diego

iera: Murals or he Museum

o Modern rNe or: he

Museum o Modern r

pp. and also Maria ough

Draing beeen eporage and

Memor: Diego ieras Mosco

Sechboo Ocober no. all

: . hough ieras

Mosco effors ere ulimael

unsuccessul he do proide

imporan eidence o an engage-

men ih mural paining in he

Soie Union in he mid-s.

. On he MS see Irina

oinai Mehdunarodni

rasni sadion: isorii

proeiroaniia i sroielsa

rhieura SSS no.

NoemberDecember :

. On Soie spor polic

fig. he soc phrases Soie illage-Soie Ci and

Soie Congress respeciel on is scrolling icer-ape

upper rings ull resplenden in heir radian illuminaion.


13/13

Gough

see Jim iordan Spor in Soie

Socie: Deelopmen o Spor and

Phsical ducaion in ussia and he

USSCambridge U: Cambridge

Uniersi Press and also

ober delman Serious un:

Hisor o Specaor Spors in he

USSNe or and Oord U:

Oord Uniersi Press .

. issi joined SNO

in hile conalescing

in Sierland bu his direc

inolemen in he MS projec

pos-daes his reurn o Mosco

in mid-.

. See issi-ppers l

issi: ie eers es pp.

.

. See Niolai ados

Doladnaia apisa: O proeahsooruhenii i proiodse

sroielnh rabo gg.

June Sae rchie o

he ussian ederaion .

op. d. l. .

. See oinai

Mehdunarodni rasni sadion

p. .

. See Selim han-Magomedo

Mihail orheMosco: ond

ussii angard

pp. .

. See issi-ppers l

issi: ie eers es p. .

. See issi ussland

.

. See ric Mendelsohn: eers

o an rchiec ed. Osar Beer

rans. eoffre Srachan ih an

inroducion b Niolaus Pesner

ondon: belard-Schuman

p. .

. See issi-ppers l

issi: ie eers es pp.

. pparenl Mendelsohn

as alread planning a boo ih

udol Mosse on ussia see ric

Mendelsohn: eers o an rchiec

p. .

. See ric Mendelsohn: eers o

an rchiec pp. .

. Berol Brech ere

ol. p. cied

in erner Hech Brech Chroni

ranur: Suhramp

p. .

. his becomes een more

apparen i one compares he

original ediion ih

he reised ediion published in

o hich ere added

more conenional perspeciesand panoramas aen on a

subsequen rip b rich

arei he chie archiec in

Mendelsohns office.

. lesandr odcheno Pui

soremennoi oografii Noi le

no. : .

. See ric Mendelsohn: eers o

an rchiec pp. .

. On Mendelsohn and

merianismus see Jean-ouisCohen Posace in rich

Mendelsohn meria: ire

dimages dun archieceParis:

es diions du Demi-Cercle

pp. and Cohen

Scenes o he orld o Come:

uropean rchiecure and he

merican Challenge

Paris: lammarion Monreal:

Canadian Cenre or rchiecure

pp. .

. rich Mendelsohn Berlin-

Charloenburg o eis

Mumord December

in ric Mendelsohn: eers o an

rchiec p. .

. l issi mericanism

in uropean rchiecure pp.

.

. l issi la arhieora:

ilohenie nigi . Mendelsona

Sroielnaia promshlennos no.

Januar : rans.

lan Upchurch in Phoograph

in he Modern ra: uropean

Documens and Criical riings

ed. and ih an inro.

b Chrisopher Phillips Ne

or: Meropolian Museum o

rperure pp. .

In a ebruar leer o

ppers issi confides hahe nighshos in meriaare no

b Mendelsohn himsel bu ha

he sill roe a good reie o i

ana see l issi Mosco

o Sophie ppers Hanoer

ebruar e esearch

Insiue Special Collecions and

isual esources accession no.

bo older . his sen-

ence is omied in he published

ersion o he leer in issi-

ppers l issi: ie eers

es pp. .

. Mendelsohn meria p.

rans. Sanle ppelbaum in rich

Mendelsohns meriaNe

or: Doer Publicaions Inc.

p. . Hereaer page reer-

ences ill be gien in parenheses

ihin he bod o he e firs o

he erman ediion and hen o

he nglish ranslaion.

. See rns Ma Sdebau

und ichrelame in ilhelm

o ed. ich und Beleuchung:

ichechnische ragen uner

Bercsichigung der Bedrnisse

der rchieurBerlin: erlag

Hermann ecendor pp.

rans. in im and Charloe

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