^ Quote by Peter Cook ^
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| Kassel Kit 1972 |
AH..soo...I am a little jealous. A friend of mine (who is currently at Wash U. getting his M.Arch) recently informed me of his spring break plans: an epic escapade to Monte Carlo & Paris (school related of course) ! My first thought was , Hotel project? which was indeed right on the money...but I didn't make the connection until he mentioned that they (his studio) was going to meet one the original Archigram^1 guys! LUCKY DUCK.
Archigram^2 is a fantastic group from the 60s-70s set in the UK whose [hypothetical] projects were inspired by the opportunistic properties of technology. Producing well over 200 cartoonish demonstrations, their often unrealistic-yet-wonderfully-theoretical ode to a megastructure / geomantic infrastructure city (think Pompidou Center, Paris) rejects mass perception of 'Modern' design by poking fun at architectural language. Such proposals offer a kind of abstract platform in which social change and technology could foster interactive architecture.
Now, what does that mean? This abstract platform opens new doors with people asking more questions: what are people doing in this space? how is the space interacting with the individual? the mass? and what can a space offer you? I'm not really sure if I'm talking about functionalism so much as I am wondering about how to categorize programmatic space? Back in architecture school, whenever we were assigned to design a certain kind of space, I felt caught in this vicious trap of simply designing a box big/small enough to project the right volume of people but never really captured the feel or dynamic of the space...you know, white board just didn't do it for me. I think that's when I began to fantasize about whimsical ephemeral structures (a fancy phrase for installations) like those made in Burning Man (which I hope to participate in next year along with my amazing M.Arch friends!)
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| Uchronia, Nevada Desert, 2006 |
Which brings me to another topic: enigmatic landscapes. I was browsing through my amazon wish list when I uncovered a set books by William L. Fox, a desert & art enthusiast. One book caught my attention (mostly because it was 75 cents): Mapping the Empty: eight artists and Nevada. I bought (am currently waiting for it) in hopes to understand how Fox discloses the engaged relationship between man (art) and landscape (space), particularly desert space (or as I see it, extreme space). I am curious to see if I can make any sweet academic connections between Archigram and Fox but as of now, I am only able to conclude with one concept artist ( see image above by:) : Arne Quinze. Check it.