Paris Syndrome: Permanent Extensions, Temporary Grounds

The 20th century was a century of the world becoming “One” through the Expos, the Games, the World Wars and Travel. Cities became destinations, fantasies and a state of a mind. With the TV and the Internet, images of the city vaporized as moments of a distant memory.

Diving into the 21st century, we recognize cities of having similar attributes, no longer city particular, as melting pots; for opportunities, identities and narratives. The specificity of one city from another loses ground as mobility for the Mass flourished, blurring the boundaries of authority and softening the thresholds of locality. The opacity of the City thickens as the locus of Travel emerges.

Cities offer little to have a personal connection and often serve as grounds of economic and political attachment for the mass. These “Citizens of the World” often identify themselves as having a Third Nature, an attribute that is interest and ideal specific, offering a sense of individuality.

The Thesis aims to speculate on the definition of the “City” in the 21st Century, as Time-specific, Spectacle-specific and Ground specific, offering a sense of belonging; a home to stay.