Large-Scale Fakes: Living in Architectural Reproductions

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to examine how the “real” in the city is idealized and the role of scale in this process, focusing on the phenomenon of architectural replication, which attempts to create large-scale spectacles in the contemporary city context. The chapter compares the popular movement in China to build neighborhoods or even entire cities replicating cities of the West to the attitude towards reproductions in Europe, where authenticity is often mythologized. The chapter explores what it means not only to build “Large-Scale Fakes,” but, most importantly, to dwell in them as part of a contemporary global culture.