Description

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Spectacle is a dynamic visual essay that celebrates the phenomenon and history of public performance worldwide -- from the theater to the streets, from religious festivals to political marches, and from permanent spectacles like the city of Las Vegas to ephemeral fireworks displays. Stunning color and archival photographs document 19 events, among them the Olympic Games, Carnival, the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, and the Burning Man festival in the desert of Nevada. The book includes descriptive essays, interviews with noted cultural figures, an essay by critic Herbert Muschamp, and a listing of 40 spectacles around the globe.

About the Author

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Bruce Mau is the Chairman and Creative Directer of Bruce Mau Design, which has gained international recognition for innovative multidisciplinary work. He is the author of Life Style and Massive Change, both published by Phaidon, and designed and conceived the award-winning book S, M, L, XL with Rem Koolhaas.

David Rockwell is the founder and CEO of Rockwell Group in New York, an internationally acclaimed architecture, planning, and design firm specializing in restaurant, cultural, educational, theatre and film design.

Praise For…

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"Spectacle offers an impressive visual tour of over 60 spectacular events that take place around the world."—The Architect’s Newspaper

"This is a book of happy spectacles. Rockwell and Mau (Spectacle has Mau's imaginative boldness and strong sense of display written all over it) have created a smart book with heft and beauty, and much information useful to designers and fans of the public entertainments, rituals and happenings that so enchant us."—Azure

"Packed with 200 color photographs and interviews with award-winning authors, producers, directors, and performers - from Muhammad Ali to Steve Wynn—these authorities of the grandiose explain how such ‘shared, live experiences’ shape the way that we see the world, the way we interact with it, and how we interact with each other."—Desert Living

"Architect David Rockwell doesn’t just think big—he thinks spectacular."—The New York Sun

"Spectacle by David Rockwell and Bruce Mau is a smallish book on a biggish subject."—The New York Times

"An extraordinarily informative, entertaining, and inspiring book."—Passport

"Slickly designed, with full-page color photographs of more than 60 such spectacles from around the world (including the Burning Man festival), the monograph serves the dual needs of armchair travelers, offering vicarious journeys alongside provocative ruminations on the underpinnings of the events."—San Francisco Bay Guardian

"Stunning... Fascinating."—Gay Times