Universitas Project

ClickontheGooglePreviewimageabovetoreadsomepagesofthisbook!InJanuaryof1972,TheMuseumofModernArthosted"TheUniversitasProject,"atwo-dayconferencesponsoredbytheMuseum'sInternationalCouncilandtheInstituteforArchitectureandUrbanStudies.Thedistinguishedparticipants,fromawiderangeofscholarlyandartisticdisciplines,includingJeanBaudrillard,UmbertoEco,GyorgyKepes,OctavioPaz,AnatolRapoport,MeyerSchapiro,CarlSchorskeandJivanTabibian,amongmanyothers,engagedinamultidisciplinarydebateonthefutureofdesignanddesigninstitutionsinthepostindustrialera.Theproject,conceivedanddirectedbythenotedarchitectanddesignerEmilioAmbasz,thenCuratorofDesignattheMuseum,wasoriginallydescribedas"acriticalandprospectiveinquiryintotherelationofmantothenaturalandthesocioculturalenvironment...specificallyplannedtoexplorethepossibilityofestablishingintheUnitedStatesanewtypeofinstitutioncenteredaroundthetaskofevaluatinganddesigningtheman-mademilieu."Thisimportantvolumepublishesintheirentiretythevariouscomponentsoftheconference:theworkingpapersthatsetthetermsofthedebate;theessayssubmittedbytheinvitees;theproceedingsofthesymposiarespondingtothepapers;andthepostscriptsprovidedbytheparticipantsaftertheevent.ItmakesthischapterintheintellectualhistoryoftheMuseum,addressingissuesandideasstillrelevanttoday,availableforthefirsttimetoscholars,thearchitectureanddesigncommunityandthegeneralpublic.