cover image Bovisa

Bovisa

Hejduk, John Hejduk. Rizzoli International Publications, $27.5 (13pp) ISBN 978-0-8478-0897-7

This book contains the entry that Hejduk, dean of the school of architecture at Cooper Union, submitted to the XVII Milan Triennale ""Imagined Cities'' for Bovisa, a section of Milan. These architectural plans are not what one would expect. In fact, as traditional architecture they are a joke, as demonstrated by a typical ``note,'' with original ellipses intact: ``Stazione Garibaldi, Stazione Centrale, two multi-tailed separating sperm . . . impregnating . . . yet blocked . . . by building blocks . . . which enclose the egg . . . the center . . . the Duomo . . . acting as the heart of the city and at the same time as a sign of the history of the organism and of its past fertilizations.'' Yet, these fanciful, magical drawings (62 altogether) delight as whimsical, vibrant views of urban areas. It's as if Chagall labeled his outdoor scenes architecture. (March)