SuperStudio
- Experimental architecture  


Superstudio was founded by Christiano toraldo di Francia and Adolfo Natalini, formally known as one of the most ‘poetic and incisive’ groups out of Italy. They were a part of the Radical architectural movement of the late 1960s – 70s, the group was highly conceptual, effectively transcending the physical realm however they never actually produced physical buildings, however they instead played around with the idea of ‘anti architecture’, using grid systems as a way to mediate space. 
Superstudio where largely inspired by the British Pop Art movement as well as the independent group. Superstudio explored experimental concepts in radical architecture and urban planning inspiration, they made large contributions to the international movement that was mainly focused on designing the ideal city of the ‘future’. They created a series of hallucinogenic sequences containing variations of large golden pyramids, city grids stretching towards infinity. Superstudio used ‘continuous monument’ as an architectural model for total urbanisation, this represents a dystopia whereby the two opposing forces (industry and nature) thus compete for dominance. The continuous monument did not only make comment on urban sprawl, but it as well became a metaphor for the ills of globalisation and its unsustainable and inevitable nature.


Natalini describes the continuous monument as ‘a single piece of architecture to be extended over the whole world. [Its] static perfection moves the world through the love that it creates, [through] serenity and calm, [and through its] sweet tyranny"(Antonelli, 2019)

Whilst most of these structures appear as if they threaten to remove inhabitants from the natural world, this is somewhat revoked, as portrayed throughout my sequence of images, as nature itself becomes a part of the structure through the sky’s reflection and the use of grids masking reality from the future, as well as including various chosen techniques of Superstudio and placing my own ‘tweak’ on them. Superstudio’s work inspired me to look beyond what I was just seeing in the image and create something ‘out of this world’ something that reflected the world and future in a dramatic way. Thus, amongst a previously unwelcoming outlook comes a shred of hope for the future, through the newfound interpretation of the Supersurface as a theoretical ideal city is ‘created’ whereby people live in a nomadic existence and are thus freed from repetitive work and consumerist desires. This was a repetitive and very common theme throughout Superstudio’s work thus evident in their rejection of the conservatism values of the 1920’s, which looked backwards in an effort to preserve its structures. The shocking aftermath of the flooding in Florence thus ‘inspired’ Superstudio subverting these views by proposing the Arno River should be blocked in order to submerge Florence. In similar fashion to other works of Superstudio, offer a fragment of hope amongst these visons of dystopia regarding the resurrection of nature over industry. Superstudio were highly influential and the level of volume they spoke through their creations have touched and inspired many across the world.
“For those who, like ourselves, are convinced that architecture is one of the few ways
to realise cosmic order on earth, to put things according to reason,
it is a “moderate utopia” to imagine a near future in which all architecture will be created with a single act,
from a single design capable of clarifying once and for all
the motives which have induced man to build dolmens, menhirs, pyramids,
and lastly to trace (ultimate ration) a white line in the desert.” (Mollard, 2012)
Bibliography 
Antonelli, P. 2019, Superstudio, The continuous monument, The Museum of Modern Art, New York 

Blog, A. 2012, ‘Superstudio’, The pioneers of the Superstudio, Blogspot, Arch122superstudio, Germany, 5 October, viewed 5 August 2019, http://arch122superstudio.blogspot.com


Elfline, R. 2016, ‘Design and culture’, Superstudio and the “Refusal to Work”, vol.8, no. 1: Work, pp.55-77

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