The Building of a Superhighway Future at the New York World's Fair
2001; University of Minnesota Press; Volume: 48; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/cul.2001.0033
ISSN1460-2458
Autores Tópico(s)Media, Communication, and Education
ResumoFuturama, a diorama designed by Norman Bel Geddes and sponsored by General Motors, was the most popular exhibit at the 1939 New York World's Fair. During the 1930s a few urban highways had been built, but this exhibit was spectacular in comparison. It depicted the United States in the year 1960 with multilane superhighways crossing the country. Viewers stood in line for hours before entering it. Upon entrance, they were seated on moving benches with built-in speakers that transmitted explanations for each element of the diorama. Business Week described the scene: "More than 30,000 persons daily, the show's capacity, inch along the sizzling pavement in long queues until they reach the chairs which transport them to a tourist's paradise. It unfolds a prophecy of cities, towns, and countrysides served by a comprehensive road system. Somewhere in the rolling davenport a disembodied angel explains the elysium" ("Motoring," 27) (Figures 1 and 2).
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