quin wu's dystopia depicts western icons cherished in the east

A DYSTOPIAN, BRUTALIST LANDSCAPE BY QUIN WU

what would western icons look like if exploded and set to be adored in the east? a dystopian, brutalist landscape where massive structures stand out because of their strong branding. new york-based architect quin wu brings us a creative look at the theme through a series of digitally-painted portraits that depict cultural idols being idolized.

‘the conflict between the centrally planned economy and market economy amazes me,’ commented quin when explaining the motivation behind his work.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EASTERN AND WESTERN CULTURES

born in china, quin wu studied architecture at RISD in the US where he noticed the difference between the eastern and western countries. ‘I came across some photos of the soviet union’s monotowns and was deeply intrigued by the harsh natural environment, its culture and its architecture,’ he continued. ‘it is almost like a cool fictional setup to me. therefore, I want to create something reflecting or even enhancing such surreal conflicts. mcdonald’s is a perfect conflicting symbolic icon from the U.S. to be integrated with the cultural context of the soviet union.’

in fact, the first McDonald’s opened in the soviet union in 1990. it was such a success, that policemen struggled to keep in order the thousands of muscovites that attended the inauguration. the soviet union collapsed the following year, but mcdonalds is still standing to date.

the digital images are all computer generated renderings, and the architectural themes range from housing renders to environmental scenes to social critiques. ‘during the peak of COVID-19 on 2020, I gave it a try to learn some programs that are commonly used in the game industry. I am a believer that tools are extension of the mind. gradually polishing skills in modeling, texturing, compositing, rendering etc., I am able to materialize some of my thoughts into actual images. it has been a very fun journey.’

since his mcdonalds series, the architect has continued to explore this theme, taking different brands. coca-cola, shell, nike and chanel are some other examples. ‘I hope my work can invoke people to think about some emerging problems in the consumerism society,’ he concluded.

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