Theo Deutinger

Joy and Fear

An Illustrated Report on Modernity

A continuation of Otto Neurath’s 1939 book Modern Man in the Making, Joy and Fear questions how modernity, through its promises and failures, continues to reshape mankind. The promises have been fulfilled, especially for people in the West, where hygiene, modern medicine and education have led to steep increases in health, life expectancy and literacy rates. For large parts of the world’s population, however, these promises have not been fulfilled. The current average life expectancy in Chad, for example, is equal to that of the United States in the 1920s, and at 52 is eight years below the retirement age there. The entire globe is unquestioningly and irreversibly involved in the modern project, but its benefits are very unevenly distributed.

By depicting these asymmetries, Joy and Fear brings clarity to today’s modern world. The pictograms and illustrations and their accompanying texts touch on global issues ranging from agriculture to warfare to the welfare state. The visual language makes complex issues immediately accessible. Holding the various themes together is a coherent narrative.

A continuation of Otto Neurath’s 1939 book Modern Man in the Making, Joy and Fear questions how modernity, through its promises and failures, continues to reshape mankind. The promises have been fulfilled, especially for people in the West, where hygiene, modern medicine and education have led to steep increases in health, life expectancy and literacy rates. For large parts of the world’s population, however, these promises have not been fulfilled. The current average life expectancy in Chad, for example, is equal to that of the United States in the 1920s, and at 52 is eight years below the retirement age there. The entire globe is unquestioningly and irreversibly involved in the modern project, but its benefits are very unevenly distributed.

By depicting these asymmetries, Joy and Fear brings clarity to today’s modern world. The pictograms and illustrations and their accompanying texts touch on global issues ranging from agriculture to warfare to the welfare state. The visual language makes complex issues immediately accessible. Holding the various themes together is a coherent narrative.

Author(s): Theo Deutinger

Design: Theo Deutinger

21 × 26,8, 8 ¼ × 10 ¼ in

216 pages, 217 illustrations

hardback

2023, 978-3-03778-743-4, English
CHF 45.00

Theo Deutinger

Theo Deutinger (*1971) is an architect, writer and curator. He is the founder and head of The Department (TD), a practice that combines architecture with research, visualization and artistic thinking. With TD he works at all scales from global planning, spatial master plans, architecture to graphic and curatorial work. Deutinger is known for his theoretical writings on the transformation of European urban culture, and his socio-cultural studies such as the “Handbook of Tyranny.” His work has been shown at the Design Biennale Kwangju (2011), the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale (2014) and the Storefront for Architecture in New York (2019), among others. Theo Deutinger lives and works in Austria.