I didn't have time to see Rem Koolhaas and Shohei Shigematsu's exhibit 'Cronocaos' at the New Museum in New York, but the theme is something that resonates deeply with me. It explores the potentially damaging effect that preservation movements can have on older buildings, creating sterile environments in which their historical character is erased. They examine this by taking an old restaurant supply store and splitting it in half, leaving one half in its original state, raw and exposed, yet beautiful in its flaws, and the other half stark white and bland, modernized to conform to the standards of real estate developers and yuppies in cities across America. Genius, and a bit sad. Nicolai Ouroussoff writes about it here.
