Imprint of the Future: Destiny of Piranesi's City

Sergei Tchoban explores the laws that govern the development of cities, such as his native St. Petersburg, and the great prototypes in whose image it was created. This catalog accompanies an exhibition of Tchoban's work at the Istituto Centrale per la Grafica in Rome, marking the 300th anniversary of Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Tchoban believes that a similar transformation of the European city has been happening for at least a century and that society must work out how to relate to this process. Piranesi's legacy is a call to an honest conversation regarding the layers and parts that constitute the European city as both a highly important piece of our heritage and a space for future development.

Format: Hardback
Length: 168 pages
Publication date: 01 December 2020
Publisher: DOM Publishers

Sergei Tchoban, a renowned Russian architect and draughtsman, has dedicated his career to exploring the intricate laws governing the development of cities like his native St. Petersburg and the iconic prototypes that inspired it. However, the question remains: can we preserve the exceptional quality of these cities in the present day? Can we continue to strive for this quality at the current stage of architectural development? This captivating catalogue accompanies an exhibition of Tchoban's work at the Istituto Centrale per la Grafica in Rome, scheduled to take place from October 2020 to January 2021. It also commemorates the 300th anniversary of the birth of Giovanni Battista Piranesi, an Italian artist known for his visionary depictions of Roman street scenes. Tchoban's work seamlessly integrates futuristic structures into these eighteenth-century scenes, raising intriguing questions about whether these works constitute ruined masterpieces or imprints of the future.

Tchoban believes that a similar transformation of European cities has been underway for at least a century, and society must find a way to engage with this process. At its core, Piranesi's legacy is a call for an honest conversation about the various layers and components that make up the European city, recognizing it as a valuable part of our heritage and a space for future growth.

Through his meticulous attention to detail and his ability to blend past and future, Tchoban's work invites us to contemplate the evolving nature of cities and the role they play in shaping our world. The exhibition at the Istituto Centrale per la Grafica in Rome provides an opportunity to immerse ourselves in his visionary creations and engage in a thought-provoking dialogue about the future of urban development.

Weight: 1522g
Dimension: 293 x 292 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783869226071