Aesthetics of urban extremes: iterating culture

The purpose of the article is to study the phenomenon of extreme urban discourse and, on this basis, to trace the influence of the phenomenon on the aesthetics of the city. The author comes to the conclusion about the complex and contradictory nature of the extreme state of being. The conclusion is due to the situation of stimulating city designers to innovative solutions, as well as the dichotomous influence of extremeness on the dynamics of the city. The aesthetic dimension of crisis states reveals shocking architectural solutions and directions of the early 20th century. However, in the 21st century, the focus shifts to simulation games, which represents a metamodern ‘return’ to a new sincerity. The author conceptualizes this trend as iterating culture.