MOSQUITOES

(above) Cover of the landmark “Mosquitoes” publication.

In the annals of the architecture avant-garde, the team of Ken Kaplan and Ted Krueger—K/K R&D—occupies a truly unique place. Never before or since have satrire and humor been deployed to confront such serious architectural issues. The social criticism of Swift and the moral parables of Kafka live on in their writings and constructions, but also concepts such as the analog and renegade cities, which speak both to the mission of contemporary design and today’s spontaneous expansion of traditional urban centers. Their use of the machine is both a critique of functionalism and a call for hands-on invention that transcends corporate goals and limits. For Kaplan and Krueger, paradox and contradiction confound existing institutions of power, but at the same time are political opportunities for the rest of us. Their work is more relevant than ever.

LW

Pamphlet Architecture 14 is still available, online:

http://www.amazon.com/Pamphlet-Architecture-14-Mosquitoes-Krueger/dp/B003156DTS/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273449406&sr=8-12