BOOK Private Views: A High-rise Panorama of Manhattan

Private Views: A High-rise Panorama of Manhattan is a book by Andi Schmied, showcasing the views of twenty-five of Manhattan’s most luxurious private residential skyscrapers, which she documented while posing as an apartment-hunting Hungarian billionaire.

Author: Galerie VI PER

  • Reward: Photograph by Andi Schmied option 1

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  • Reward: Photograph by Andi Schmied option 3

  • Reward: Portfolio with 8 prints

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EUR 3,235
pledged of EUR 3,197

101%

101% completed

91 contributors pledged

Art, Photography

All or nothing. Project finished on Oct 25, 2020 at 12:39.

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About the project

Despite the iconic nature of the Manhattan skyline, there are only four places the public can see it from, even if paying: the Empire State Building, the Rockefeller Center, ONE World Trade Center, and the Edge at Hudson Yards. All other elevated views are a private privilege, only available to owners of luxury penthouses.

Posing as an apartment-hunting Hungarian billionaire, Andi Schmied accessed and documented the views of 25 of the city's most exclusive high-rise properties. Her book, Private Views: A High-rise Panorama of Manhattan offers a glimpse into this elite world. Showcasing the surreal strategies of persuasion used by real estate agents, the book allows readers to bypass the gatekeepers of luxury real estate, guiding them through the sunset from Trump Tower, view from the private club of the tallest residential tower on the planet, and showing samples of the most luxurious materials, such as the Siberian marble used in soaking tubs overlooking the Statue of Liberty.

The book is structured into four main sections: an interview with the author and the fictional billionaire, real estate viewings through photography and transcripted dialogues, informative texts about the world of luxury real estate, and authors' essays. The texts will cover issues such as the history of the view, shadows these buildings cast, sales galleries, amenities, apartment staging, samples of the most luxurious materials, and many others. The contributors’ essays, which are scattered around the book, will highlight the problematic nature of these “Private Views.” The book will be published as part of VI PER's Future Architecture Platform activities.

The book will be published in English.

Authors of text: Sara Emilia Bernat, f-architecture collaborative, Irena Lehkoživová, Ava Lynam, Peter Noever, Jack Self, Andi Schmied, Michael Sorkin, Samuel Stein, Barbora Špičáková, Anthony Vidler, Sharon Zukin.

Graphic design: Tereza Hejmová

hardcover, 230 × 310 mm, aprox. 150 color illustrations, 200 pages

About the author:

Andi Schmied is a visual artist and architect based in Budapest, Hungary. Her work focuses on places that do not follow conventional logic, yet remain part of our cityscape. These vary from areas that have deviated far from their originally planned function (Jing Jin City), utopian architectures (Noguchi Town), or spaces of privilege (Private Views). Schmied graduated from the Bartlett School of Architecture and her work, among other places, has been shown in London (Daniel Blau Gallery, Schwartz Gallery, The White Building), Southampton (John Hansard Gallery), Sapporo (Salon Cojica, HUG Gallery), Beijing (Design Week), Rotterdam (International Architecture Biennale), Budapest (Trafo Gallery, Trapez, OFF Biennale, Kunsthalle). She has been artist-in-resident at S-AIR, Sapporo (Japan), Triangle Arts, New York, DordtYart, Dordrecht (Netherlands), Meetfactory, Prague (Czech Republic), Outpost, Norwich (UK), and MuseumQartier, Vienna (Austria). http://andischmied.com/.

About the publisher

VI PER Gallery based in Prague, Czech Republic focuses on architecture, together with its relations and points of intersection with contemporary art, urbanism, design, and media, as well as the political, legal, social, economic, and ecological contexts, which help to shape architecture and the built environment. VI PER Gallery is part of the pan-European platform Future Architecture. In 2019, VI PER published Steel Cities: The Architecture of Logistics in Central and Eastern Europe (co-published with Park Books, Zurich). http://www.vipergallery.org

Why Are We Doing This?

The financial costs for issuing a publication – of our desired quality – such as Private Views significantly exceeds our own possibilities. We hoped to provide fair compensation for the authors and contributors, as well as for the translation, graphic design, and proofreading. And we now are faced with the costs of printing this publication. For this reason, we decided to offer the book for presales on Hithit and collect the remaining amount for the printing of the book. We would be very glad if you could support our publication!

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  • sold 13
    Contribute to the book’s publication what you want

    Contribute even a small sum towards the book’s publication. Support the project for no reward, just because it speaks to you.

    Reward delivery: in a quarter after the Hithit project end

    EUR 7.99
    (CZK 200)
  • sold 14
    Ordering Private Views (personal pick up)

    Order the book  Private Views at the regular price. You can pick it up in Prague and Budapest as soon as the book is printed.
    Only personal pick up - Prague and Budapest.

    Reward delivery: in a quarter after the Hithit project end

    EUR 29.98
    (CZK 750)
  • sold 4
    Ordering Private Views with postal delivery

    Order the book Private Views at the regular price along with postage in the Czech Republic and in Hungary. The book will be sent out as soon as it is printed.

    Reward delivery: on address, in a quarter after the Hithit project end

    EUR 33.97
    (CZK 850)
  • sold 4
    Book + invitation to launch (personal pick up)

    Order one copy of the book along with an invitation for two people to the book launch. At the event, you can meet the book’s authors, who will be glad to sign it for you.
    The book launch will take place at VI PER Gallery in Prague, we plan to organize another event in Budapest as well.
    Only personal pick up - Prague and Budapest.

    Reward delivery: in a quarter after the Hithit project end

    EUR 35.97
    (CZK 900)
  • sold 12
    Private Views with postage within the EU

    Order the book Private Views at the regular price along with postage within the EU. The book will be sent out as soon as it is printed.

    Reward delivery: on address, in a quarter after the Hithit project end

    EUR 39.97
    (CZK 1,000)
  • sold 1
    Private Views with postage outside the EU

    Order the book Private Views at the regular price along with postage outside the EU. The book will be sent out as soon as it is printed.

    Reward delivery: on address, in a quarter after the Hithit project end

    EUR 49.96
    (CZK 1,250)
  • sold 6
    Two books

    Two copies of the book - one for you, the other as a present for whomever you wish. Pick it up in person in Prague or in Budapest as soon as the book is printed.
    Or can also be shipped also via post, postage fee applies.

    Reward delivery: on address, in a quarter after the Hithit project end

    EUR 51.96
    (CZK 1,300)
  • remaining 29 from 30
    Private Views + Steel Cities

    Order one copy of Private Views and copy of Steel Cities (published by VI PER in 2019).
    Personal pick up in Prague or in Budapest.
    Can be shipped also via post, postage fee applies.

    Reward delivery: on address, in a quarter after the Hithit project end

    EUR 51.96
    (CZK 1,300)
  • remaining 26 from 30
    Private Views + Jing Jin City

    Order one copy of Private Views and copy of Jing Jin City (an artist book by Andi Schmied and Lawrence Lek, published in 2015).
    Personal pick up in Prague or in Budapest.
    Can be shipped also via post, postage fee applies.

    Reward delivery: on address, in a quarter after the Hithit project end

    EUR 51.96
    (CZK 1,300)
  • remaining 18 from 20
    Private Views + Jing Jin City + Steel Cities

    Order one copy of Private Views, one copy of Jing Jin City (an artist book by Andi Schmied and Lawrence Lek, published in 2015), and one copy of Steel Cities.
    Personal pick up in Prague or in Budapest.
    Can be shipped also via post, postage fee applies.

    Reward delivery: on address, in a quarter after the Hithit project end

    EUR 75.94
    (CZK 1,900)
  • remaining 5 from 5
    Photograph by Andi Schmied

    Original photograph by Andi from the book - gicleé print - edition of 5, size 60 x 90 cm, signed, alongside a copy of Private Views.
    Choices of photographs are the three images in the slide.
    Shipped worldwide.

    Reward delivery: on address, in a quarter after the Hithit project end

    EUR 519.58
    (CZK 13,000)
  • remaining 10 from 10
    Major supporter - listed in the publication

    Support the publication of the book with a special sum and we will list you as a major supporter in the acknowledgments of the book. In addition, you will receive three signed copies of Private Views – one for you, the others as a present for whomever you wish.

    Reward delivery: on address, in a quarter after the Hithit project end

    EUR 599.52
    (CZK 15,000)
  • remaining 1 from 1
    Portfolio with 8 prints

    Portfolio, with 8 signed photographic gicleé prints in a hardcover, silver embossed custom-made box. Edition of 8.
    Prints are 32 x 48 cm, a collection of some of the best photographs from the upcoming book.
    The reward includes three signed copies of Private Views, with a personal dedication.
    This box is edition 3/8. See the image of the portfolio within the slides.

    Reward delivery: on address, in a quarter after the Hithit project end

    EUR 3,197.44
    (CZK 80,000)
  • Sold out!!
    Pre-order of the book with discount (personal pick up)

    A limited number of volumes of Private Views will be reserved for the first to order. You can pick it up in person in Prague and Budapest as soon as the book is printed.
    A limited number of 30 volumes
    Only personal pick up - Prague and Budapest

    Reward delivery: in a quarter after the Hithit project end

    EUR 25.98
    (CZK 650)