Photo: NYP
The cost of the accessory is about $30. The website description says the product “combines bold design and the idea of global leadership,” with all proceeds going to the Obama Foundation, which states its mission as “to inspire, empower and unite people for positive change.” The brooches are made of paper and clay and echo the massive, monolithic shape of the future center rising above Jackson Park in Chicago.
The project itself is estimated to cost about $850 million and is set to open after more than a decade of construction, reports NYP. However, even at the visualization stage, the building sparked lively controversy: it has been compared to a concrete fortress, the Death Star, industrial containers and even prison architecture.
The architects of the project, Billy Zeien and Tod Williams, have previously noted that Obama actively participated in the development of the concept and insisted on a more expressive and bold appearance of the building. According to them, he left comments directly on the drawings, considering the original versions not ambitious enough.
Obama himself, according to the architects, was inspired by the works of Konstantin Brancusi and wanted the center to be perceived not only as a public space, but also as an architectural art object.
Meanwhile, the reaction to the souvenir products was sharply negative. Users of social networks actively compare brooches with various objects and do not restrain sarcasm – from “school eraser” to “chewed gum”. Many ironize that the accessories look even more controversial than the building itself.
Despite the criticism, the Obama Foundation continues to promote the project as a major cultural and educational center with a museum, library and public spaces. However, there is still a polarization of opinion around the complex, from support for its ambitions to harsh criticism of the cost and architectural design.
