The Importance of Soft Power in Architecture

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I think it's really funny to see these concepts like reemerge, but now they're taken seriously instead of a complete joke. So I think it's very important to understand that for Saudi Arabia, especially this is all about what critics call soft power. It's just like how the Sackler sponsored the Bougainheim and during the opioid crisis. This is completely antithetical to the liberal image that architecture tries very hard to maintain as a sort of part of the arts.

Paris Marx is joined by Kate Wagner to discuss the goals behind Saudi Arabia’s architectural megaprojects, the incentives for major architects to work on projects for despotic regimes, and how architecture’s relationship to tech is driven by profits and PR.

Kate Wagner is an architecture critic and journalist. She’s also the creator of McMansion Hell. Follow Kate on Twitter at @mcmansionhell.

Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.

The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.

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