Forgotten Architecture. An Archive of overshadowed projects

Felicori, Bianca [UCL]

Forgotten Architecture’s goal is to research and unearth not well known modern architecture worldwide, mainly from the 60s and the 70s. The idea behind it is to recover projects by little-known architects and works left in the shadows of the masters, to delve into the work of «minor» figures, and to unite alternative takes on the History of Architecture as a complement to university courses. The publication uses the unconventional architectural categories as guiding themes, providing for each project a collection of photographic materials, documents, and drawings from prominent professional firms, institutions, and private archives—such as Fornasetti, Gaetano Pesce, Nanda Vigo, Vitra, Ant Farm, Superstudio, Coop Himmeblau, Gernot Nalbach, Guy Rottier. Ephemeral architecture, gas stations, night clubs, playgrounds, houses, vacation resorts, cemeteries, churches, architectures in music videos. Several forgotten projects by well renowned architects, such as the house designed for Arnaldo Pomodoro by Ettore Sottsass Jr. and the avant-garde Binishells by Dante Bini, are published exclusively in the book, alongside drive-in churches, flying houses, psychedelic inflatable architectures, etc. At the end of the book, a series of critical essays reflect on its characteristics as a collective and pedagogical experience, considering the repercussions of this experience on the discipline of architecture through different points of view. The book, published by NERO Editions and edited by Bianca Felicori, is produced thanks to the support of the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Italian Ministry of Culture under the Italian Council program (12th edition, 2023), which aims to promote Italian contemporary art world-wide, and is sponsored by RESIDENZA 725. The project is promoted by Dopolavoro in partnership with CIVA - Architecture, Landscape, Urban Planning, Brussels; DOPO? Space, Milano; MAMbo - Museo d›Arte Moderna di Bologna; MACRO - Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome; MAXXI - Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, Rome; mudac - Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts, Lausanne.