Stephen Bayley

Adhocism, by Charles Jencks – review

‘Madonna of the Future’, 1967, made from a headless mannequin, electric cord, a Belling’s heater and the Henry James novel of the same name. Getty Images | Shutterstock | iStock | Alamy 
issue 06 July 2013

Here, for time travellers, is the whack-job spirit of ’68 in distillate form, paperbound and reissued in facsimile (with some exculpatory, older and wiser material fore and aft). Adhocism (re)captures with magical realism the boldness and silliness of its day.  This was the day when ‘new media’ meant colour television.

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