Reading: "The Simulacrum of Utopian Decay" (A.Glass 2020)

 

"The wish of a Utopian socialist two hundred years ago and the later glorious 1950s, was to allow wealth to be spread out with low taxes, in lieu with interest rates being relatively balanced; for a productive industrial society to continue its contributions this would be ideal. Of course this is all but a myth.

I don’t think there is one sole reason for the decay of Utopia, as it is only a Simulacrum of its past ideas. Yet, the past is dead. We may be forgiven in trying to reanimate elements of hope from history in a desperation to find stability. But, we may only know its restless ghosts. As an example, it is the famous Chelsea Hotel in New York City that can used as a cultural reference, designed by Phillip Hubert completed in 1885, Hubert followed the theories of Charles Fourier and his idea of Utopian settlements, essentially creating, within the Chelsea Hotel, the first New York City Co-op. In tune with Fourier's and Saint Simon’s philosophies, a thriving community should have both workers, professionals and artists living within its cooperative structure.

An experiment that worked for over one hundred years despite the Hotel’s infamous history. However, In 2011 it closed its doors for renovations with the last remaining tenants gone. Its original idea, reworked now into an opportunistic desire in evoking past romanticism. But, the paint will continue to peel."

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"The Simulacrum of Utopian Decay"  (A.Glass 2020)