flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Decaying city: Exhibit demonstrates the fragility of the man-made world

Decaying city: Exhibit demonstrates the fragility of the man-made world

Theater set designer Johanna Mårtensson built a model cityscape out of bread only to watch it decay.


By BD+C Staff | April 26, 2013
Photos by Johanna Mrtensson http://johannamartensson.se/

The Architizer blog (via Fast Company) brings us a fascinating exhibit by theater set designer Johanna Mårtensson. To demonstrate the fragility of the man-made world, she constructed a city out of bread and then snapped a photo every day for six months to document the decay (warning: if you haven't eaten breakfast yet you may want to skip the last two photos).

For her efforts, Mårtensson recently won a Platinum A' Design Award. In her submission, she described her inspiration for the project:

"I was inspired by an article about how well the earth would do without us. Within 500 years all buildings would be half-fallen or fallen, perfect homes for animals and plants. The forrest would soon grow in cities. Buildings as well as pollutions would be taken care of by bacterias and micro-organisms. If a UFO came here in a couple of hundred thousand years, they would not see many signs of that gang of primates that once thought they were the lords of the planet."

Check out Mårtensson's decaying city:

Related Stories

| May 3, 2012

Ground broken for $94 million hospital expansion at Scripps Encinitas

New facility to more than double emergency department size, boost inpatient beds by 43%.

| May 3, 2012

Rudolph and Sletten, Inc. wins CMAA award

Firm recognized for the renovation of Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College’s Student Administrative & Griffin Student Center.

| May 2, 2012

Trimble acquires SketchUp 3D modeling platform

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2012.

| May 2, 2012

Building Team completes two additions at UCLA

New student housing buildings are part of UCLA’s Northwest Campus Student Housing In-Fill Project.

| May 2, 2012

Public housing can incorporate sustainable design

Sustainable design achievable without having to add significant cost; owner and residents reap benefits

| May 2, 2012

SMPS Foundation accepting applications for Garikes Scholarship

One outstanding scholar will be selected this year to receive a $1,500 scholarship award, to be used toward academic expenses, such as tuition and fees, books, supplies, and other similar expenses.

| May 2, 2012

Sasaki selected for 2012 National Planning Firm Award

The award recognizes a firm for its body of distinguished work influencing the planning profession.

| May 1, 2012

White paper discusses benefits of diaphragm and piston flushometer valves

The white paper highlights considerations that impact which type of technology is most appropriate for various restroom environments.

| May 1, 2012

Time-lapse video: World Trade Center, New York

One World Trade Center, being built at the site of the fallen twin towers, surpassed the Empire State Building on Monday as the tallest building in New York.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021