Vision's program
THE SPHERE OF BODIES / THE ARCHITECTURE OF SPHERES
4.22(tue)-5.24(sat).2003
Overview
The concept of "Sphere of Bodies (Leibraum)", proposed by Walter Benjamin In his essay on surrealism, is defined as the world of universal and integral actualities, where the "living room (gute Stube)" is missing. Presently, however, architecture seems intent on transforming our surrounding environment into nothing but an extension of the cozy living room. In order to redeem the actuality of the body from such a suffocating world where we must be "at home" literally, we attempt to explore the possibilities of Benjamin's concept through the works of architects keenly engaged in the question of how our body relates with its surroundings.
contents:
- Ohnmacht Flamm Architekten
- Didier Fiuza Faustino
- Dominik Baumueller
- Najjar & Najjar Architekten
- Monika Gora
- Atelier Kempe Thill
- -
- The Exhibition
Wolfgang Ohnmacht (born 1966) and Volker Flamm (born1968) started working together in Innsbruck, Austria, from 2000. Flamm has collaborated with artists to create architectural and sculptural installations. In 2001 Ohnmacht and Flamm created an experimental work of architecture and structure titled "Moving Space" at Innsbruck University. They are currently engaged in several housing projects.
Born 1968, currently based in Lisbon and Paris. His activities encompass architecture, video art, performances and writing, all of which focusing on studies of space experienced by the body. His representative works include "Love Me Tender", "Body in Transit", and "Stairway to Heaven". Collection at the Centre Pompidou. Presently designing the residence of French artist Fabrice Hybert.
Born 1960. Studied experimental physics and holds a Ph.D. in astronomy. His main field of activity in the design and development of textile structures such as tents, solar power balloons (by his project team Suloon), remote-controlled airships, and experiments in textile art objects. "Rotation Pneu", on display at the exhibition, is a floating rotational membrane shelter which takes various attractive forms - a giant mushroom, a pizza, a disc, etc - depending on its rotational speed and the amount of air blown into it.
Both German and Lebanese nationals, Karim (born 1965) and Rames (born 1967) Najjar opened their offices in Vienna and Stuttgart in 1999. Their Semperit Research and Development Institute, with its unique structure and form, was built and completed in 2000. Their representative works include "The 3-D Facade System" and "The Tidal House Project". "Bug", on display at the exhibition, was created for a 1999 cultural festival. The spatial installation, a structure covered with shell-like valves, changes its form according to the movement of the viewer entering within.
Born 1959. Opens her own studio in Malmö, Sweden, as a landscape architect and artist. Collaborations with architects, artists and engineers, and participation in multiple exhibitions. Her representative projects and works include "Jimmys" (shown in many locations within Europe), "A Drop of Light" (installation at Vienna and Stockholm), and "X-X" (environmental installation on the sea). Landscape work "Common Ground", developed as a continuous site between the interior and the exterior of a building structure, was completed in November 2002.
Both having studied at Dresden University of Engineering in the former East Germany, Andre Kempe (born 1968) and Oliver Thill (born 1971) opened their office in Rotterdam in 2000. After conducting urban studies in Paris and in Tokyo, they have engaged in planning and design in the Netherlands and in Germany. In 2001 they designed a beautiful pavilion in Rotterdam that utilizes bottle cases. A pavilion surrounded by walls of ready-made Dutch ivy panels for the festival at Rostock, Germany, is expected for completion in spring 2003.
The architects' works will be shown through drawings, photographs and video images. Serving both as a display piece relevant to the theme of the exhibition and for viewing the video images, a custom-designed couch by young architects Nigel Bertram and Marika Neustupny will be made at the Asagaya College of Art and Design and installed at the gallery. The exhibition catalog will include an essay by American artist and architect Azby Brown.
