Spectacularism of contemporary architecture within the context of the late 20th – early 21st century visual culture

The article examines the development of spectacularism in contemporary architecture (1990s–2020s) in the context of the visual orientation of culture of the late 20th – early 21st century. Spectacularism manifests in three major visually-orientated trends in contemporary architecture: 1) the presentation of architecture as entertainment; 2) the super- ficial reproduction of current visual design trends; 3) the prioritisation of perception via the medium of photography or rendering over a direct and engaged real life interaction between a human and the built environment. These trends impact digital architectural visualization, graphic design of architecture theory works, the creation of iconic landmark buildings and photogenic spaces (the so-called “Instagrammable space”, “AirSpace”, and others), development projects for generic residential and administrative buildings. The study of the spectacularism phenomenon through the lens of Guy Debord’s and J. Baudrillard’s philosophy allowed to conclude that the visually-oriented trends in contemporary architecture are the result of the decline in the direct and active interactions between humans and the physical world.