Imaginative and visionary while conceptually rigorous and complex, the projects in Metabolic City feature fanciful names--Bubble City, Floating City, Instant City, and Marine City--for proposed systems founded on the principles of networks, adaptable
habitats, and the promise of technological advances to address the challenges of rebuilding urban centers. Avant-garde for their time, the works featured in Metabolic City have regained relevance in light of today's increasingly network-driven world and the associated impacts on architecture and design.

The three groups of artists and architects featured in Metabolic City are the Japanese Metabolists, the architecture collaborative Archigram from Britain and Dutch artist Constant. Metabolic City investigates the theoretical and conceptual overlaps in their work, focusing on the representation of their ideas rather than the built structures themselves. The exhibition includes photography, collages, drawings, books, and film.

Metabolic City is curated by Heather Woofter, assistant professor of architecture.

Exhibition Support

Financial support for Metabolic City was provided by Washington University's College and Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design, College and Graduate School of Art, and International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy and Sustainability, and by members of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. Additional support was provided by American Classics Architectural Metal Fabrication, CONFLUENCE Design | Fabrication, and Ambient Design.