The Guggenheim: Countryside, the Future

Over this winter break I had the opportunity to go to New York City, and while there my mom and I went to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. The day we went they had just put up a new exhibit: "Countryside, The Future." Going into this we didn't know what the theme of the entire museum was, so we were kind of confused by the giant tractor sitting outside on the streets of Manhattan, but inside the building is a large spiral ramp with graphic design collages plastered on the walls. You start at the bottom with hunters and gatherers and how that developed slowly into intentionally planting and farming.

Up a few levels was a section on the Cold War, and how Soviet and American countrysides developed and changed as urbanization was increasing, but the demand for food was increasing after World War II. The text on the walls touches on how the nuclear bomb tests in the Soviet Union made it so land was useless for farming and overall changed how the country needed to think about their food supply.

Another section was about the Counterculture Movement and how that changed how Americans viewed rural areas as many "hippies" were looking to move out of the large cities and live how they wanted. This was important to the development of the countryside because people were moving back into remote areas in order to live out their life how they pleased and not have to conform to society's standards, like we've learned about in class.

At the top of the building, the topic of "the future" is addressed. The UN says that they predict in 2050 70% of the world will be living in cities, so how will we be able to sustain that balance? There are videos looking into the lives of a family in China who successfully just decided to become farmers while still living in the city. There's also bits on how to farm indoors, and predictions for the future not just of America, but of the world. If you're in New York in the next few months I'd highly recommend you check out the Guggenheim.

Sources:
https://www.guggenheim.org/video/see-countryside-the-future-at-the-guggenheim
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/arts/design/rem-koolhaas-guggenheim.html