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

| Nov 14, 2011

Griffin Electric completes electrical work at Cary Arts Center

  The Griffin Electric team was responsible for replacing the previous electrical service on-site with a 1000A, 480/277V service and providing electrical feeds for a new fire pump chiller, six air-handlers and two elevators.

| Nov 14, 2011

303 East 33rd Street building achieves LEED-NC

  The 165,000 sf 12-story residential building is the first green development to be LEED certified in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan.

| Nov 14, 2011

VanSumeren appointed to Traco general manager

VanSumeren will draw on his more than 20 years of experience in manufacturing management and engineering to deliver operational and service excellence and drive profitable growth for Traco. 

| Nov 11, 2011

By the Numbers

What do ‘46.9,’ ‘886.2,’ and ‘171,271’ mean to you? Check here for the answer.

| Nov 11, 2011

Streamline Design-build with BIM

How construction manager Barton Malow utilized BIM and design-build to deliver a quick turnaround for Georgia Tech’s new practice facility.

| Nov 11, 2011

AIA: Engineered Brick + Masonry for Commercial Buildings

Earn 1.0 AIA/CES learning units by studying this article and successfully completing the online exam. 

| Nov 11, 2011

How Your Firm Can Win Federal + Military Projects

The civilian and military branches of the federal government are looking for innovative, smart-thinking AEC firms to design and construct their capital projects. Our sources give you the inside story.

| Nov 10, 2011

BD+C's 28th Annual Reconstruction Awards

A total of 13 projects recognized as part of BD+C's 28th Annual Reconstruction Awards.

| Nov 10, 2011

Grousbeck Center for Students & Technology opens doors

New Perkins School for the Blind Building is dedicated to innovation, interaction, and independence for students.

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