Markus Hanakam & Roswitha Schuller: PALM SPRINGS

In 1971, the British-Californian architectural theorist Reyner Banham compared the ornamental embellishment of actually modern, anonymous structures to the icing on a cake " detailing stuck all over a relatively plain structure like piped icing on a pastry"; a metaphor that had previously been found for the representative buildings of the Stalin era, the so-called "confectioner's style". In retrospect, various historical elements of design and architecture appear as "confectionery," through their color schemes, but especially through their volumes.

In Palm Springs (2008, Re-Cut 2022), Hanakam & Schuller subvert the architectural icons of California's "Desert Modernism" by adorning buildings by Neutra, Wright, Frey and others with animated toppings and candies, alluding to the kitsch that found its way to Palm Springs through nearby Hollywood, in parallel with the chic, purist architectural style. In a subtle and ironic way, the duo questions the absoluteness of stylistic ideals.