Architectural Explorations in Books - Sustainism Is the New Modernism

FREE - Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Michiel Schwarz and Joost Elffers proclaim “Sustainism” as the new culture of the 21st century. With their “cultural manifesto” they have added a new word to the dictionary. In this event they present a visual vocabulary for the new cultural movement, and show what makes Sustainism the next “big idea” in how we shape our future.

The book Sustainism Is the New Modernism declares the dawn of a new cultural era, as we transition from modernity to sustainity—towards a world that is more connected, more localist, more digital and more sustainable. Sustainism in the twenty-first century will be what modernism was in the last. It will (re-)shape our culture, from the design of our cities and homes, to our technologies and our life-styles. Through a series of graphically dynamic aphorisms and visual symbols Michiel Schwarz and Joost Elffers chart the new realities of a Sustainist world. With this concise manifesto, they launch “Sustainism,” the concept and the word, into the public consciousness.

Copies of Sustainism Is the New Modernism: A Cultural Manifesto for the Sustainist Era are available for purchase and signing at the event.

Michiel Schwarz is a cultural thinker, innovator and consultant, working from Berkeley, California and Amsterdam, Netherlands. His publications include The Technological Culture and Speed: Visions of an Accelerated Age.

Joost Elffers is creative producer, “symbol maker” and designer, based in New York. He is the initiator and producer of award-winning and innovative books such as 48 Laws of Power, Play with Your Food and Tangram: The Ancient Chinese Shapes Game.

Initiated and organized by Arezoo Moseni, Architectural Explorations in Books is a new series of engaging programs delving into the critical role that architecture books play in the understanding of contemporary urban developments and structures. The events feature book presentations and discussions by acclaimed architects, critics, curators, designers, photographers and writers.