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| EOA: lo primero que se ve / what you see first |
Esta era nuestra primera vez en la Bienal de Arquitectura de Venecia. La visitamos en dos jornadas: un día dedicado a Giardini y otro a Arsenale. Además, en nuestros paseos por la ciudad visitamos también algunas de las exposiciones que están repartidas a lo largo y ancho de la misma. El evento es inmenso, diverso y variopinto —normalmente intenso en sus contenidos, a ratos banal, a veces interesante y puntualmente exquisito. Comenzamos una serie de entradas para compartir nuestras impresiones de aquello que, en este amplio panorama, nos llamó más la atención.
Hoy hablamos de Elements of Architecture (EOA), una de las dos exposiciones ideadas por Rem Koolhaas, en este caso la que cuenta con su implicación más directa. Ocupa el pabellón central en Giardini, y en su forma de presentarse hace referencia, casi literal, al lema general establecido en esta edición de la Bienal: Fundamentals. Para ello toma la idea del fragmento como manera de exponer arquitectura.
«En esta exposición —y su catálogo— se examinan micro-narrativas que se revelan al enfocar en la escala del fragmento: elements of architecture mira a lo fundamental de los edificios, lo usado por cualquier arquitecto, en cualquier lugar, en cualquier tiempo: el suelo, la pared, el techo, la cubierta, la puerta, la ventana, la fachada, el balcón, el pasillo, el hogar, el aseo, la escalera, la escalera mecánica, el ascensor, la rampa...» (extracto del folleto gratuito recogido en la Biennale, los puntos suspensivos están en el original)
En este primer post sobre la Bienal, hacemos un flashback. Nos trasladamos a 1995, fue entonces cuando Koolhaas junto a Bruce Mau, en ese ahora mítico glosario que recorre S, M, L, XL, propuso definir Arquitectura con una pregunta:
«ARQUITECTURA: ¿Cuál es la acción de la Arquitectura, cuáles son sus elementos, sus condiciones, sus materiales, sus motivos?» (S, M, L, XL, p.xxiv. )¿Qué queda de esta definición en EOA?
Obviamente la definición-pregunta de 1995 tenía más incógnitas que la respuesta dada en EOA. Koolhaas sólo nos ha querido hablar de los elementos; y de los elementos parece que sólo habla de algunos, los puntos suspensivos de la primera cita son prueba de ello. Sería interesante indagar qué hay detrás de esa lista abierta. Algo de esto comenta Federico Martelli en este vídeo [ver también más abajo en el post], en el que nos dice que en el camino "algunos elementos de alguna manera desaparecen, otros nuevos surgen, mientras otros cambian de nombre..." ¿Saldrán estos elementos a la luz algún día? ¿Habrá un making-of del proceso de elaboración de esta lista?
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| Bienvenidos a la Bienal / Welcome to the Biennale |
De los "elementos" elegidos, cada uno de ellos tiene un desarrollo autónomo, producto de la investigación llevada a cabo por diferentes equipos. La muestra se organiza por espacios, cada elemento es un librito y una habitación. En nuestra inmersión como visitantes de un día, el resultado nos pareció asimétrico y de desigual profundidad, algunos nos interesaron más y otros nos dejaron indiferentes. En próximas entradas hablaremos de algunos elementos concretos.
Aunque a la definición-pregunta aún le quedan partes por responder, y tengamos dudas si en la respuesta parcial de los elementos están todos los que son o debieran ser y si los que están cumplen, si nos queda la impresión que EOA es un ejercicio sintético a modo de recordatorio para refrescarnos la memoria y para estar atentos al largo recorrido de estos "very ancient elements".
El otro asunto que llama la atención entre la definición aparecida en S, M, L, XL y EOA, es que en esta exposición Rem Koolhaas ha querido asimilar arquitectura exclusivamente al edificio, alejándose del carácter abierto de la pregunta de 1995. La muestra bien podría haberse llamado Elements of Buildings. Con el enfoque arquitectura = edificio establece una fuerte continuidad que viene del pasado, de la historia de la arquitectura, otro de los temas recurrentes del arquitecto holandés ¿Qué nos está planteando Koolhaas, especialmente hoy en pleno debate acerca de la amplitud de campo de la arquitectura? Continuaremos reflexionando sobre esto y esperamos vuestros comentarios.
English Text
This was our first time at the Venice Architecture Biennale. We went twice: on the first day we visited the Giardini venue and we devoted our second day to the spaces in the Arsenale. Besides this, on our walks exploring Venice we saw some of the exhibitions spread across the city. The event itself is immense, diverse and its contents vary: they are usually intense but they can also be banal, sometimes they are interesting and occasionally they are simply exquisite. This post is the first in a series in which we would like to share our thoughts on what caught our attention.
Today we are going to talk about Elements of Architecture (EOA), one of the two exhibitions conceived by Rem Koolhaas, in this case the one that displays his more direct implication. The exhibition is shown in the Giardini's main pavilion, and its layout is practically literal reference to the theme established for this edition of the Biennale: Fundamentals. To do so he uses the notion of fragment as a way to show architecture:
This, our first entry about the Biennale, flashes back to 1995. That is when Koolhaas, along with Bruce Mau, in the now legendary glossary that spans S, M, L, XL, proposed a definition for architecture using a question:
What is left of this definition at EOA?
It is clear that the 1995 question-definition had more variables than the answer given at EOA. Now, Koolhaas has only wanted to talk about architecture's elements, and of those, he only mentions some; the ellipsis at the end of the first quote speaks volumes. It would be interesting to know what is behind that open-ended list. Federico Martelli mentions something about this in the video bellow, in which he states that in the process "some elements kind of disappear, some new elements appear, some elements change name..." Will we hear about these other elements someday? Will there be a making-of of the research process that lead to this list?
Of the elements chosen, each has an autonomous development in the exhibition, the result of research carried out by different teams. The show is spatially organized, each element is associated with a book and room of its own. In our approach as one-day visitors, the result is somewhat lopsided and the depth with which each element has been studied varies. Some of the elements interested us, others left us indifferent. We will talk about some of them in future posts.
Even though the question-definition still has unanswered parts, and we doubt that, in the partial answer as far as the elements are concerned, not all the elements of architecture are present at EOA, nor are the ones that are necessarily valid, we are however under the impression that the exhibition is an interesting synthetic exercise in which, through a comprehensive exhibition design, we are reminded of the relevance of and the long roads traveled by these "very ancient elements".
The other issue that draws attention to the differences between the definition in S, M, L, XL and EOA, is that in this show Koolhaas deliberately relates architecture to buildings only, distancing himself form the open nature of the question he posed in 1995. This exhibition may as well have been called Elements of Buildings. Under the premise architecture = building he establishes a strong continuity with the past and with the History of Architecture, another of the Dutch architect's recurring themes. What is Koolhaas suggesting, especially nowadays, when the debate around the breadth of the field of architecture rages more than ever? We will continue talking about this and we are looking forward to your comments.
El otro asunto que llama la atención entre la definición aparecida en S, M, L, XL y EOA, es que en esta exposición Rem Koolhaas ha querido asimilar arquitectura exclusivamente al edificio, alejándose del carácter abierto de la pregunta de 1995. La muestra bien podría haberse llamado Elements of Buildings. Con el enfoque arquitectura = edificio establece una fuerte continuidad que viene del pasado, de la historia de la arquitectura, otro de los temas recurrentes del arquitecto holandés ¿Qué nos está planteando Koolhaas, especialmente hoy en pleno debate acerca de la amplitud de campo de la arquitectura? Continuaremos reflexionando sobre esto y esperamos vuestros comentarios.
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| EOA: Sin el balcón de sus padres... / Without his parents' balcony... |
This was our first time at the Venice Architecture Biennale. We went twice: on the first day we visited the Giardini venue and we devoted our second day to the spaces in the Arsenale. Besides this, on our walks exploring Venice we saw some of the exhibitions spread across the city. The event itself is immense, diverse and its contents vary: they are usually intense but they can also be banal, sometimes they are interesting and occasionally they are simply exquisite. This post is the first in a series in which we would like to share our thoughts on what caught our attention.
Today we are going to talk about Elements of Architecture (EOA), one of the two exhibitions conceived by Rem Koolhaas, in this case the one that displays his more direct implication. The exhibition is shown in the Giardini's main pavilion, and its layout is practically literal reference to the theme established for this edition of the Biennale: Fundamentals. To do so he uses the notion of fragment as a way to show architecture:
"In this exhibition —and its catalogue— we examine micro-narratives revealed by focusing on the scale of the fragment: elements of architecture looks at the fundamentals of our buildings, used by any architect, anywhere, anytime: the floor, the wall, the ceiling, the roof, the door, the window, the facade, the balcony, the corridor, the fireplace, the toilet, the stair, the escalator, the elevator, the ramp..." (Free brochure of the Biennale. The ellipsis is part of the original quote)
This, our first entry about the Biennale, flashes back to 1995. That is when Koolhaas, along with Bruce Mau, in the now legendary glossary that spans S, M, L, XL, proposed a definition for architecture using a question:
"ARCHITECTURE: What is the act of Architecture, what are its elements, its conditions, its materials, its motives?" (S, M, L, XL, p.xxiv. )
What is left of this definition at EOA?
It is clear that the 1995 question-definition had more variables than the answer given at EOA. Now, Koolhaas has only wanted to talk about architecture's elements, and of those, he only mentions some; the ellipsis at the end of the first quote speaks volumes. It would be interesting to know what is behind that open-ended list. Federico Martelli mentions something about this in the video bellow, in which he states that in the process "some elements kind of disappear, some new elements appear, some elements change name..." Will we hear about these other elements someday? Will there be a making-of of the research process that lead to this list?
Of the elements chosen, each has an autonomous development in the exhibition, the result of research carried out by different teams. The show is spatially organized, each element is associated with a book and room of its own. In our approach as one-day visitors, the result is somewhat lopsided and the depth with which each element has been studied varies. Some of the elements interested us, others left us indifferent. We will talk about some of them in future posts.
Even though the question-definition still has unanswered parts, and we doubt that, in the partial answer as far as the elements are concerned, not all the elements of architecture are present at EOA, nor are the ones that are necessarily valid, we are however under the impression that the exhibition is an interesting synthetic exercise in which, through a comprehensive exhibition design, we are reminded of the relevance of and the long roads traveled by these "very ancient elements".
The other issue that draws attention to the differences between the definition in S, M, L, XL and EOA, is that in this show Koolhaas deliberately relates architecture to buildings only, distancing himself form the open nature of the question he posed in 1995. This exhibition may as well have been called Elements of Buildings. Under the premise architecture = building he establishes a strong continuity with the past and with the History of Architecture, another of the Dutch architect's recurring themes. What is Koolhaas suggesting, especially nowadays, when the debate around the breadth of the field of architecture rages more than ever? We will continue talking about this and we are looking forward to your comments.
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| EOA: las 17 salas/ the 17 rooms |
Acerca de las imágenes:
Para ilustrar esta entrada, hemos escaneado material que cogimos en la Bienal. La segunda y la cuarta imagen pertenecen a la guía gratuita (20 páginas, color, grapado, tamaño A5 vertical); en la segunda imagen hemos subrayado los comentarios acerca de EOA, a la derecha los de Paolo Baratta —presidente de la Biennale di Venezia, y a la izquierda los de Rem Koolhaas. La tercera imagen es la primera cara de un curioso e interesante A3 plegado que encuentras al entrar en Elements of Architecture, y que contiene varios textos, todos firmados por Rem Koolhaas, uno de ellos en clave autobiográfico y es el que reseñamos con el pie. Hemos subido las imágenes en resolución suficiente para que se puedan leer.
La fotografía, la primera imagen, la tomó Vincent con su móvil, al entrar en EOA, Juan Antonio la ha manipulado para rectificar la fuga.
El vídeo se titula Biennale Architettura 2014 - Elements of Architecture: an introduction, es del canal de Youtube la Biennale di Venezia Channel, subido el 7/6/2014; nosotros lo vimos en los días posteriores a la visita, así se describe: "Federico Martelli introduces the Elements of Architecture section, hosted in the Central Pavilion."
About the images:
In order to illustrate this post we have scanned material we picked up at the Biennale. The second and fourth images belong to the free brochure (20 color pages, stapled together, size A5-vertical): in the second image we have highlighted the comments about EOA, to the right those by Paolo Baratta —president of the Biennale di Venezia, to the left those by Rem Koolhaas. The third image is the front side of a a curious and interesting folded A3 that you can find right as you walk into Elements of Architecture. It contains a series of texts, all signed by Rem Koolhaas. Among them there is one of autobiographic nature, as can be read in the caption. The images have been uploaded with enough resolution to be easily read.
The photograph of the first image was taken by Vincent with his cell phone as he walked into EOA. Juan Antonio has manipulated it in order to correct the perspective.
The video is titled Biennale Architettura 2014 - Elements of Architecture: an introduction. It is part of the Youtube la Biennale di Venezia Channel, uploaded on 6/7/2014; we saw it a few days after our visit. Is is described as: "Federico Martelli introduces the Elements of Architecture section, hosted in the Central Pavilion."
In order to illustrate this post we have scanned material we picked up at the Biennale. The second and fourth images belong to the free brochure (20 color pages, stapled together, size A5-vertical): in the second image we have highlighted the comments about EOA, to the right those by Paolo Baratta —president of the Biennale di Venezia, to the left those by Rem Koolhaas. The third image is the front side of a a curious and interesting folded A3 that you can find right as you walk into Elements of Architecture. It contains a series of texts, all signed by Rem Koolhaas. Among them there is one of autobiographic nature, as can be read in the caption. The images have been uploaded with enough resolution to be easily read.
The photograph of the first image was taken by Vincent with his cell phone as he walked into EOA. Juan Antonio has manipulated it in order to correct the perspective.
The video is titled Biennale Architettura 2014 - Elements of Architecture: an introduction. It is part of the Youtube la Biennale di Venezia Channel, uploaded on 6/7/2014; we saw it a few days after our visit. Is is described as: "Federico Martelli introduces the Elements of Architecture section, hosted in the Central Pavilion."
Las entradas etiquetadas como RECOMENDACIONES muestran proposiciones de viajes, edificios, exposiciones, lecturas, películas, links... que hemos disfrutado / Posts tagged RECOMMENDATIONS show suggested journeys, buildings, exhibitions, books, films, links etc. that we have enjoyed.
Editado y traducido por / Edited and translated by: conVince: http://translateandconvince.wordpress.com/
1 comentario:
Me ha intereseado mucho vuestra reflexión acerca del foco de EOA, efectivamente son "Elements of Buildings", pero aun así, todos estos elementos, si no los tomamos solamente como piezas construidas, sino además como metáforas, en todo su poder simbólico, se convierten en catalizadores de construcciones culturales, en mediaciones entre el entorno habitado y la idea de él que elabora la sociedad, en reflejo y crítica de la sociedad. En este sentido y aunque no he visitado la muestra, tengo la impresión de que, como apunta Andreas Ruby, el contenido de EOA no está en lo que vemos, sino en lo que no está. Quizás porque soy muy fan d elos "blancos" pienso que cada visitante construirá una imagen de la arquitectura a partir de las flagantres ausencias, y estas proyecciones incitadas por lo que vemos y lo que no, es el verdadero contenido de la muestra. Vuestros posts, mis comentarios, todas las conversaciones suscitadas, en definitiva, la "marginalia", son el verdadero contenido de la muestra.
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