Thursday, 18 September 2008
Venice Architecture Biennale 2008
OUT THERE
The vast exhibition of contemporary architecture which is the Venice Biennale (curated by Aaron Betsky) opened last weekend in a stormy atmosphere which made the exhibitions oases of rather damp calm, despite the unsettling luxurious aspirations of some of the exhibitors. How nature, not to mention the current economic storms, intrudes on the best laid plans! The utopian visions of the digital future and interactive environments with new fluid forms are presented in a stunning display at the Arsenale. Marked by a particularly stimulating entrance area ( Rockwell Group with Jones / Kroloff) that sets a high standard which the subsequent sequence of displays extend in a series of varied rooms. Much of this material is not new (either in ideas or forms), but is presented here as a spatial experience which tantalises the visitor with possible worlds. The indulgence of the creators in focusing on their own concerns betrays the sel-referential interest of much of this work. The MVRDV / Philippe Rahm section for example, with its futuristic urban animation, relaxing naked people and musician improvising on a saw suggests nothing more than the continuing polarity between attention seeking techno-geekiness and a late revival of hippiedom, ideas first synthesised forty years ago by Superstudio.
The displays have a strongly historicist feel, with some of the original characters, represented especially by Coop Himmelblau expanding on their ideas for interactive autonomous environments. The Roma Interrotta exhibition of 1978 is revived as an antechamber to a display of contemporary ideas for Rome, Uneternal City, which takes the earlier urban speculation forward. The other developments of that era are acknowledged in the Italian Pavilion at the Giardini with exhibitions of Madelon Vriesendorp's provocative images for OMA, Zaha Hadid's early models and paintings and various works from the office archive of Frank Gehry. The form-laden nature of this work sits somewhat uncomfortably with a series of displays which deal with the social and ecological aspects that are of contemporary concern, but then in totality the exhibition seems to tip the hat quite frequently to once-were-deconstructivists, as if in memory of Betsky's own involvement in defining that movement.
The British Pavilion presents a series of housing projects, solid buildings ill-served by the the witlessness of the display. dRMM's work in particular suffers from the miserable position their models occupy. Contrast this unappealing tightness wit the engaging generosity of the French Pavilion, with pivoting models encouraging engagement from the exhibition visitors, and the German Pavilion's reassuringly 'chaotic' ecological display.The real surprises within the many varied displays are perhaps best summarised by the Mexican contribution at the Arsenale which provides some welcome social content in distinction to the overwhelmingly form driven displays there. At the Giardini the USA Pavilion provides a cooler response to similar issues, a development which can only be welcomed.
As always the Nordic Pavilion hovers elegantly at the centre of the Giardini. This year it presents a monographic exhibition on the work of the pavilion's architect Sverre Fehn which in its tranquil confidence provides reassurance that all novelties in architecture eventually pass away...
Friday, 25 April 2008
Glenn Howells: Savill Building, Windsor
U.S. comment "another lovely piece from MSA... this building appears to be very heavily influenced by eero saarinen, with it's serpentine undulations and sculptural qualities... love it!!!"
Friday, 22 February 2008
Thursday, 21 February 2008
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
Sunday, 3 February 2008
Dominique Perrault: Olympic Velodrome and Pool, Berlin
Serbian comment "Cool, thnx for posting..."
Linked from the Spanish site http://www.mosarq.com/
BBPR: Interventions in Castello Sforzesco, Milan
Italian comment "Well done! Bello davvero complimenti..tra l'altro non è facile fare un video così. Bravibravissimi."
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
Will Alsop: Peckham Library, London
Spanish comment "Great Job!!!! Thank you for video!"
Venezuelan comment "Nice Video! Good done! I like the music, the editing. I like it ALL.(Todo esta muy bien pensado, es entretenido, los gráficos son interesantes y muy agradables) FELICITACIONES!"
Monday, 28 January 2008
Renzo Piano: Auditorium di Roma
Linked from the Italian site http://www.architettiamoci.it
Canadian comment "Wonderful video!! Very well done and a pleasure to watch!! :)"
Linked from the site http://www.skyscrapercity.com
Massimiliano Fuksas: Nuovo Polo Fiera, Milano
French comment "Good work, thank you for video!"
Linked from the Italian site http://www.artemotore.com
Linked from the Polish site http://www.bryla.pl
Italian comment "Fuksas perdente"
Italian video response showing the construction of the 'vela'
Wednesday, 23 January 2008
Ingimundur Sveinsson: Perlan, Reykjavik
Polish comment "delightful place i lived 15 min. by walk from perlan at adbrekka. there is no better think like drive a bike over the bike-paths under perlan specially at the night-***** amazing trip"
Linked from the French site http://tout-sur-google-earth.com
Linked from the Dutch sitehttp://www.architectenweb.nl
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
Herzog & deMeuron: Laban Dance Centre, London
British comment "Do the Dance!"
Linked from the site http://www.skyscrapercity.com
Swiss comment "Congratulations, this video is excellent! It does the project justice. This kind of presentation of architecture with motion pictures is very convincing."
British comment "Great!"
British comment "So using this video to tell me about the school I go to and where I live. XD"
Linked from the Spanish site http://www.taringa.net
Monday, 21 January 2008
Sunday, 20 January 2008
Sassenroth & Reitermann: Chapel of Reconciliation, Berlin
Linked from the site http://www.eartharchitecture.org
Saturday, 19 January 2008
Mies van der Rohe: New National Gallery, Berlin
Linked from the U.S. site http://www.greatbuildings.com
British comment "awesome man, was there last week! structurally amazing, brilliantly elegant"
British comment "yes very well done. how many of you worked on this project? The animation, cuts, music are spot on. The best I have seen by msa."
Will Alsop: Peckham Library, London
U.S. comment "O dear type my surname in here and i get some one else with my last name now dare u -.- its are family name nabs"U
British comment "fantastique"
Piano & Rogers: Centre Pompidou, Paris
Linked from the U.S. site http://www.greatbuildings.com
British comment: "Very cool video. I'm studying the Pompidou Centre for my Art History study trip next month. It looks amazing, I'm all excited now after seeing this."
Linked from the Spanish site http://www.taringa.net
Linked from the Brazilian site http://bizrevolution.typepad.com/
Thursday, 17 January 2008
Norman Foster: Sage Centre, Gateshead
Linked from the Brazilian site http://www.portaldoarquiteto.com
Wednesday, 16 January 2008
Francois Schuiten: Arts et Metiers Metro, Paris
Linked from the Spanish site http://www.entrecomics.com
Enric Miralles: Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh
Linked from the Spanish site http://proyectos1.foroes.net
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
Egon Eiermann: Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Berlin
German comment "It would have been better to reconstruct the destroyed building of Franz Schwechten after World War II, and not to build such an ugly thing that does not fit into Berlin."
Monday, 14 January 2008
Santiago Calatrava: Palau de les Arts, Valencia
Mancunian comment "Where's you being hugged by the tramp?"
U.S. comment "thank you for this exquisitely mesmerizing poem to a great designer..."
Further U.S. comment "hypnotic, sliding between minor and major keys, soothing arpeggiation, and profoundly emotional... i absolutely love this video...."
Friday, 11 January 2008
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
Massimiliano Fuksas: Nuovo Polo Fiera di Milano
Mancunian comment "I'm studying at the msa as well, with regards to your milan video, how did you create that one animation piece where you had a bright blue sky and the sun...
was it done in sketchup ?"
Linked from the Dutch site http://www.architectenweb.nl
Monday, 7 January 2008
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