A review by Berrin Chatzi Chousein and edited by Ross Wolfe. The book is a collection edited by Anthony Vidler, focuses on the concepts of “spectacle” and “use” as they appear in many recent international projects and designs.

It evaluates their role by situating within a broader historical context, moving on from there to consider current examples. As its title suggests, the book’s essays examine the condition of contemporary architecture in terms of factors such as “usage” and “display.” The book advances a comprehensive criticism of prevalent architectural tendencies today, going over specific examples and approaching them from different angles. In so doing, it focuses on the various contexts in which spectacle and use relate. This review primarily assesses the relationship between spectacle and use and different approaches appraised within different contents and submits a certain role of criticism about the theme of the book.

In the introduction, Vidler starts the discussion by evaluating Hal Foster’s critique of the “spectacular” Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, designed by Frank Gehry. Foster clarifies by indicating that “spectacle is an image accumulated to the point where it becomes capital,” Vidler continues by citing Hal Foster’s position on contemporary architecture. He makes three general comments on Foster’s critical framework..

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