Category Archives: Skyscrapers

Robert Stark talks to Ashley Messinger about Restructuring Education in Self Contained Cities

aesthetics, Architecture, arcology, Ashley Messinger, Aspergers Syndrome, automation, Basic Income, Brandon Adamson, Cities, City-State System, Class, College, conformity, Culture, demographics, Economics, education, England, Eugenics, Futurism, High School, Internet, Introversion, Personality Types, Police State, Psychology, Sexuality, Skyscrapers, social capital, Social Isolation, social status, social trust, technology, Urbanism, Utopia, Zoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark talks to ASHLEY MESSINGER about restructuring education to adapt to future social, economic, and urban trends. Ashley is based in the UK and writes for AltLeft.com. You can also find Ashley on Twitter.

Topics:

Ashley’s article Educational Formality and Its Abundance
How education is primarily about job-market signalling, hence the phenomenon of credential inflation
Education as a form of day care
How Geniuses tend to be self-taught
The problem of age segregation
Free-range parenting movement
Education as conditioning for wage slavery and the need for a leisure culture
Education alternatives such as virtual education and apprenticeships
The need for specialization in education and the economy
Ashley’s article The Harmless Psychopaths
Finding niches for different personality traits
The lack of social cohesion caused by our education system, internet culture, demographic change, and suburban sprawl
How self contained cities can address these social ills
Universities campuses as models for self contained cities
The U-Shaped Fertility Trend and Affordable Family Formation in a self contained city

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings, Stark Truth TV, and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




San Francisco Trip Photo Album(Fall 2018)

aesthetics, Architecture, Art Deco, California, Cities, John C. Portman Jr, Neon, Photography, San Francisco, Skyscrapers, Travel, Urbanism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Album includes:

The John Portman designed Embarcadero Center and Hyatt
The  Financial District
South of Market and the new Transbay Terminal
The Palace Hotel
Union Square, Neiman Marcus, Crocker Galleria, and the Portman designed JW Marriott 
Ghirardelli Square and the Cannery
The Tonga Room at the Fairmont Hotel
North Beach and Broadway Neon
The Tenderloin

Check out Robert’s past SF Bay Area albums from 2017 and 2016.

This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings, Stark Truth TV, and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




Continue reading San Francisco Trip Photo Album(Fall 2018) →

Robert Stark talks to David Cole about LA Malls

1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, aesthetics, Archeofuturism, Architecture, Beverly Hills, California, Cinema, Cities, Class, Culture, David Cole, Film, Historic Preservation, History, humor, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Malls, Matthew Pegas, Mid-Century Modern, Neon, Postmodernism, Retro Futurism, Skyscrapers, Urbanism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Matthew Pegas talk with David Cole about the history, culture, and aesthetics of LA ‘s Malls. David Cole writes for Takimag and is the author of Republican Party Animal.

Topics:

David and Robert’s background growing up on the Westside of LA
The Open Air Century City Shopping Center, the original 60’s retro futuristic aesthetics, and the film Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
The recent $1-billion makeover of the Mall and plans to make Century City more urban and pedestrian friendly
The “Westfield Aesthetic”
The old underground 70’s retro futuristic ABC Entertainment Center
The first major indoor mall Fox Hills in Culver City
The Westside Pavilion, Jon Jerde’s 80’s Post Modernist aesthetics(original featured in Tom Petty’s Free Fallin’), and plans to turn it into office space
The 80’s Rodeo Collection, an archeo-futuristic urban oasis model for self contained cities, and the film Body Double
The Beverly Center, the amusement park “Kiddyland” before the mall , the original 80’s aesthetics with futuristic external escalators, and latter renovations
The lack of interest in preserving 80’s architecture
Young people’s interest in 80’s aesthetics and the magical dream like memories from early childhood(Hypnagogia)
The 70’s retro high-rise Mr. C Hotel(formerly the Renaissance) near Beverly Hills
The Third Street Promenade, the first major outdoor mall
The rise of outdoor malls such as Rick Caruso’s The Grove and Americana at Brand and how those are now becoming dated
Future trends, the under construction high-rise shopping complex, the Oceanwide Plaza in Downtown LA
The Jon Jerde designed neon lit Universal CityWalk
David’s joke about the City Walk’s old Rain Forest Cafe and the Museum of Tolerance’s Tunnel of Hate
Westwood Village as the center of Westside nightlife and it’s decline in the late 80’s

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings, Stark Truth TV, and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




Alt-Center Solutions to LA’s Urban and Social Dynamics

1960's, 1970's, 1980's, aesthetics, Alt Center, Alternative Right, American Culture, Architecture, Art, Art Deco, Baby Boomers, Beverly Hills, Blade Runner, California, Cities, Class, Conservatives, Crime, Culture, demographics, Diversity, Economics, education, gentrification, Hipsters, Historic Preservation, History, Immigration, income inequality, John C. Portman Jr, Liberalism, Los Angeles, Mass Transit, Matthew Pegas, Mid-Century Modern, Middle Class, Millennials, Neoliberalism, Neon, Politics, Prison, Prison Rape, Retro Futurism, Skyscrapers, social capital, social trust, Suburbia, Urbanism, US Prison System, Utopia, Wealth, Zoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and  Matthew Pegas discuss their recent trip to Downtown LA, Matthew’s experience as a newcomer to the city, observations on the regions cultural dynamics, and solutions to social and urban problems.

Topics:

Skid Row, “ruin porn” and the Creepy History of the Cecil Hotel
Gentrification of the Historic Core
Broadway, neon signs and historic theatre marquees, and plans to revitalize and light up Broadway’s signs
Historic landmarks including the European style Spring Arcade and Art Deco Eastern Columbia Building
The Arts District, art bros, and the chadification of the hipster scene
The South Park highrise boom and new tallest skyscraper the Wilshire Grand
80’s Art Deco revival and new highrises influenced by Mid-Century aesthetics
John C. Portman’s Retro Futuristic Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Interior Urbanism, and Fredric Jameson’s Postmodernist review
The pros and cons of diversity and issues of social cohesion
The appeal of enjoying diversity from exclusive enclaves
The LA County Jail, Donny the Punk, and Jail as a metaphor for the problems of American society
The extreme social, economic, and aesthetic inequality in LA
Social problems caused by mass immigration, Neoliberal economics, and sprawl oriented development
Robert’s article Building a Based Urban Middle Class SWPL Utopia
Sane urbanist solutions to right wing grievances such as White flight
The political ironies of gentrification as re-colonization of urban areas
Family formation and reasons for declining demographics such as housing and education
How these social problems are now impacting the upper middle class demographically
An Alt-Center must offer solutions that cater to urban needs
Building a political movement based on aesthetics with visions for new urban communities
The hypocrisy of pro-immigration liberal elite NIMBY’s
How combining YIMBY policies with immigration restriction will gradually rebuild the urban middle class

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings, Stark Truth TV, and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




Robert Stark interviews Alina Gorina about Soviet Futurism, Technocracy & Transhumanism

aesthetics, Alina Gorina, Architecture, Art, Art Deco, automation, capitalism, Cities, Communism, Culture, Cyberpunk, democracy, Donald Trump, Economics, education, Futurism, Healthcare, History, income inequality, Literature, Mass Transit, Mid-Century Modern, Moscow, Politics, Retro Futurism, Russia, Science, Science Fiction, Skyscrapers, Soviet Union, Space Travel, technology, The Cold War, Transhumanism, Urbanism, Utopia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Topics:

Alina’s background as a Russian from Kazakhstan living in Crimea
The referendum in Crimea and how the Russian controlled region is much more prosperous
Soviet science fiction novel The Ugly Swans
Soviet science fiction novel Andromeda: A Space-Age Tale published in 1957 which predicts future trends
Science fiction novel Childhood’s End
Mid-Century Space Futurism vs. 80’s and 90’s Cyberpunk
How both the United States and Soviet Union had a fascination with Space Futurism during the Cold War
Soviet architecture, Stalinist Neoclassical skyscrapers, and Soviet Retro-futuristic illustrations
Decopunk
The Soviet film Aelita: Queen of Mars
Techno Corporatism, Techno-Syndicalism, and Technocracy
The automation of government
How a Technocracy can provide free healthcare and education
How Technocracy can solve problems with democracy, corruption, monopolies, and income inequality
Trump, his space proposals, and how he was relatively popular in Russia until the Syrian attacks
Transhumanism, Biotech, CRISPR gene editing, and radical life extension

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings, Stark Truth TV, and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




Aristocratic Aesthetic Socialism

Aesthetic Socialism, aesthetics, Aleister Crowley, Alt Center, American Culture, Archeofuturism, Architecture, Aristocratic Individualism, Art, Art Deco, California, capitalism, Cinema, Cities, Class, Communism, conformity, Consumerism, Corporations, Culture, David Lynch, demographics, Disneyland, Eugenics, Europe, Film, Germany, Giovanni Dannato, History, Immigration, income inequality, John C. Portman Jr, Journey to Vapor Island, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Malls, Marxism, materialism, Matthew Pegas, Michel Houellebecq, Mid-Century Modern, Neoliberalism, Nudism, Philosophy, Psychology, Ray Sawhill, Religion, Retro Futurism, Roman Empire, San Francisco, Sexuality, Skyscrapers, social status, social trust, Socialism, Urbanism, Utopia, Wealth

By Robert Stark: Originally Published on Alt of Center

The concept of beauty throughout history has been a force for creation, inspiring mankind to reach the pinnacle of civilization. From men accomplishing great things to win over a lover, the beautiful female as a muse for the artist, religions building great temples and cathedrals to attract worshipers, kings and emperors building monuments to demonstrate their greatness, and businesses using aesthetics in architecture and advertisements to attract more consumers.

In today’s society aesthetics serves primarily as a force to manipulate people to keep them striving and conforming to the liberal capitalist system. Advertisements use aesthetics to create a vision of a product to consume; not just the product itself but an overall aesthetically pleasing scene involving beautiful women, luxurious furnishings, great architecture, natural scenery, and music to create the mood.

Continue reading Aristocratic Aesthetic Socialism →

Robert Stark talks to Joshua Zeidner about Social Nationalism & Israeli Internal Affairs

aesthetics, Alt Center, Alternative Right, Arabs, Architecture, Baby Boomers, Bauhaus, Bernie Sanders, Bibi Netanyahu, Brutalism, California, capitalism, Class, Conservatives, Corporations, Culture, demographics, Economics, Germany, History, Immigration, income inequality, Israel, Italian Futurism, Joshua Zeidner, Le Corbusier, Leftism, Liberalism, Libertarianism, Matthew Pegas, Millennials, Nationalism, Neoliberalism, Oligarchy, Police State, Politics, Retro Futurism, Russia, Silicon Valley, Skyscrapers, Socialism, technology, Urbanism, War, Wealth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Matthew Pegas talk to Joshua Zeidner about Israeli Politics and Social Nationalism.

Topics:

Israel’s Social Nationalist origins
The book Perfidy by Ben Hecht about the Kastner trial
The rise of the far right in Israel
The corruption of Bibi Netanyahu and the Likud Party
Likud’s suppression of civil liberties and political dissidents
Israel’s shift to neoliberal economics
The influence of American elites on Israel’s political and economic affairs
The book Start-up Nation and Joshua’s experience working in Israel’s tech industry
How the state is responsible for more innovation in tech than the free market(ex. DARPA)
Joshua’s observations on Germany’s labor environment
Real Estate: investors buying up unoccupied apartments, NIMBYism, and renters rights
The need for an economic outlook based on socialism and the national good
The need for a fusion of the dissident left and right under the banner of social nationalism
The divide between capitalist boomers and socialist millennials in both Israel and the West
Bauhaus architecture, White City (Tel Aviv), Italian Futurism, Brutalism, and Le Corbusier’s Architecture and Politics
Why are Israel’s top models blonde and European looking?
Shlomo Sand

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings, Stark Truth TV, and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




Left of The Alt-Right Round Table Discussion Part II

aesthetics, Alt Center, Alternative Left, Alternative Right, American Culture, Archeofuturism, Architecture, arcology, Art, Ashley Messinger, Brandon Adamson, Brutalism, Cities, City-State System, Conservatives, Constantin von Hoffmeister, Culture, demographics, Donald Trump, Economics, England, Europe, European Nationalism, France, Front National, Futurism, Germany, Homosexuality, Identitarianism, Immigration, Japan, Las Vegas, Leftism, Liberalism, London, Marine Le Pen, Moscow, Multiculturalism, National Futurism, Nationalism, Politics, Retro Futurism, Robert Lindsay, Russia, Sexuality, Skyscrapers, South Africa, Suburbia, Urbanism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, Brandon Adamson, Ashley Messinger, and Constantin von Hoffmeister continue the discussion on the political scene known as the Alt Left, Left Wing of the Alt Right, or Alt Center.

Topics:

More on how the scene evolved, the implosion of the Alt-Right, and the need to create your own space
How the election of Trump caused friction between Robert Lindsay’s Alt-Left and the Left Wing of the Alt Right
How SJW’s have completely hijacked what remains of an Alt-Left scene
Fundamental differences between the Alt-Right and European Identitarianism
The pros and cons of America’s lack of European cultural identities
European Identitarian movements that are economically leftist but traditionalist on culture and aesthetics
The concept of degenerate art and the failure of the right to differentiate
If the Alt-Right got their hypothetical nation, would it be just another boring Red State suburb?
Reasons for right wing hostility to urbanism and modern architecture
How to create self contained city states
The proposed Crystal Island in Moscow and the Shimizu Mega-City Pyramid in Tokyo
The importance of having shared aesthetic and cultural values rather than complete homogeneity
The compatibility of futurism and tradition in Russia(archeofuturism)
Russia To Welcome 15,000 South African Refugees
Having people that benefit a society is more important than their political orientations

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




Alt-Urbanism: Building a Based Urban Middle Class SWPL Utopia

1950's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, aesthetics, Alt Center, American Culture, Architecture, Asia, Asian Culture, Baby Boomers, California, Cities, Class, Conservatives, Culture, demographics, Economics, Environment, Falling Down, gentrification, Giovanni Dannato, Immigration, income inequality, Korea, Le Corbusier, Los Angeles, Middle Class, New Urbanism, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Skyscrapers, Suburbia, SWPL, Urbanism, Utopia, Wealth, Zoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Robert Stark: Originally Published on Alt of Center

Prior to the 1950’s, the urban core of LA, centered around Downtown, was relatively small. It was also much more compact and vibrant, however, than it became in the second half of the 20th Century. In recent years, there has been renewed interest in urbanism and walkable communities, and LA’s downtown, historic core is now revitalized and booming with new highrise construction.

While LA is just in the early stages of creating an integrated metro system, the region once had a vibrant street car system connecting the urban core with extensions to street car suburbs such as Santa Monica and Pasadena.

According to Curbed LA : “in 1945, a sinister corporation called National City Lines took over the thriving Los Angeles Railway, which served most of the sprawling region. Then, over the course of the next two decades, LA’s extensive streetcar network was eliminated and the iconic Red Cars that Judge Doom mentions were replaced with shiny new buses.

Continue reading Alt-Urbanism: Building a Based Urban Middle Class SWPL Utopia →

Robert Stark interviews Richard Register about Ecocities

aesthetics, Architecture, arcology, Art, Asia, Berkeley, California, China, Cities, Culture, Eco-Cities, energy, Environment, Futurism, Galápagos Islands, Global Warming, Historic Preservation, History, John C. Portman Jr, Lafayette CA, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nature, New Urbanism, New York, Oakland, Orinda CA, Phoenix, Richard Register, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Skyscrapers, Suburbia, Urbanism, Utopia, Wilderness, Zoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richard Register is a theorist in ecology and urban design, the author of several books on the topic of ecologically sustainable cities, and founder and President of Ecocity World.

Topics:

Richard’s concept of an Ecocity
Paolo Soleri’s concept of an Arcology and his project Arcosanti in Arizona
The Ecosa Institute which is doing what Soleri intended on a smaller scale
Ancient examples of the Arcology go back to Ur in Mesopotamia and Çatalhöyük in Turkey
The city as a complex living organism
Horizontal vs. three dimensional cities
Implementing an ecocity on a large scale as an Ecotropolis
Why density is more ecologically sustainable
Ecocity Zoning
The goal of creating a car free city
The use of bridges between structures
John C. Portman’s Embarcadero Center in San Francisco which has aspects of an Arcology
Exterior glass elevators
Richard’s book Ecocity Berkeley and NIMBY imposed barriers to change in Berkeley
Opening up the creek systems in urban areas
Creating Ecocity village cores in the suburbs and how to retrofit aesthetically pleasing suburbs(ex. Santa Barbara, Marin County, and wealthy East Bay suburbs)
Reducing the foot print of cities and suburbs and opening up new land to agriculture and wilderness
Richard’s illustrations and the importance of aesthetics in urbanism
New Urbanism as a step in the right direction but too rigid in height and density
Richard’s trip to the Galapagos Islands and observations of how architecture coexists with nature
Ecocities in China
Robert’s observation that Las Vegas despite being an ecological catastrophe has many aspects of the Arcology

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings and his novel Journey to Vapor Island