The Architecture of Staged Realities
The exhibition examines Walt Disney’s cultural, architectural and urban legacy. A total work of art, the Disney universe is much more than a trademark. It is one of the main vehicles of the Western collective unconscious in the 20th century.
From the first animated films in the 1920s to the latest blockbusters, audiences around the globe have grown up with the standards, values, and models rooted in Disney’s stories. Creator of an entertainment empire, encompassing media, film, theme parks while also influencing architecture and urban planning, Walt Disney has imagined fantasy worlds where reality is scripted. What lies behind the seemingly innocent and reassuring universe of familiar characters? What kind of city does the Disney formula give birth to? Although the world of Disney is largely built on nostalgia, it is also the incubator of major cinematographic innovations, urban design principles and technological research. The exhibition The Architecture of Staged Realities looks at Walt Disney’s legacy as a mirror of contemporary society and its cultural production, both in terms of identity construction and the architecture this generated.