Rem Koolhaas, Delirious New York, 1978

Rem Koolhaas both analyzes and celebrates New York City. By suggesting the city as the site for an infinite variety of human activities and events (both real and imagined) the essence of the metropolitan lifestyle, its "culture of congestion" and its architecture are revealed in a brilliant new light.

The skyscraper is described here as a reproduction of the world, A city within a city. “The vertical Schism”. The city as an homogenous texture, like a grid of islands. It is the start of hiding the everyday street life. The start of an endless, increasing cocooning where people doesn’t meet each other anymore except from artificial climates.

“Like their towers, the men are dressed in costumes whose essential characteristics are similar”

The Barrels of Love

Two horizontal cylinders – mounted in line – revolve slowly in opposite directions. At either end a small staircase leads up to an entrance.

One feeds men into the machine, the other women.

It is impossible to remain standing.

Men and women fall on top of each other.

The unrelenting rotation of the machine fabricates synthetic intimacy between people who would never otherwise have met.

This intimacy can be further processed in the Tunnels of Love.

The skyscraper as a reproduction of the world, A city within a city. “The vertical Schism”

The city as an homogenous texture, like a grid of islands.

“Like their towers, the men are dressed in costumes whose essential characteristics are similar”

It is the start of hiding the everyday street life. The start of an endless, increasing cocooning.