Friday, February 26, 2010
Architecture Goes to the Opera
Fast Company: "Herzog and de Meuron might be rock stars abroad--their just-opened VitraHaus museum for the furniture company's Weil am Rhein, Germany campus is astonishing (thanks, in part, to Iwan Baan's insanely good photographs). But here in the States, they've had a rough few years. After their success with 40 Bond, their follow-up, 56 Leonard, stalled and their plan for the Parrish Art Museum had to be scaled back. Hear the fat lady singing? Their show's not over yet; in fact, it just got started."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
This article has a very personal appeal to me. I can somewhat tell from the few pictures included that there is a focus on space, as would come with the perspective of an architect. I find it interesting that architects were hired for this, especially because of the form follows function vs. function follows form issues. I like that the article not only mentions the set design role of some architects, but also that some are creating innovative performance spaces. Missing from the list is a work of Renzo Piano (which I can't remember the name of), in which it is intende for an audience to be seated at the lowest level, with musicians above and around.
The picture on the opening page of the link is FANTASTIC. The set is huge, and so textured, and the people below the scenic elements add to the uniform feeling of chaos and destruction. They give me the feeling that they are rocks, part of the set. I was so taken aback when I opened the page. Bringing up some of the elements of design, scale is used in an incredibly powerful way. The grand size of the set really makes an individual seem minuscule, and large groups of people seem stronger in their numbers, while encompassed by the world of rubble.
This set is absolutely stunning. I think there's a stigma involved with having an architect design scenery that really may not exist. I don't know that it's as big a deal as people make it out to be in terms of feasibility and design concept for a small space. Some of the best designers I've worked with have had backgrounds as architects. In terms of materials and construction, I think that architects have a great insight to bring to our craft and materials we may not know about that can still be affordable.
In regards to spaces, consulting companies like Auerbach are vital in making sure that the space really fulfills the needs of theatrical applications. It's really more complicated and involved than people think and there are a lot of considerations that are easy to miss if you're not the person who is using the space.
Post a Comment