Strategies against Architecture: Multisensory Environments in Temporary Exhibition Pavilions

In the second half of the twentieth century, several giants of musical modernism such as Iannis Xenakis and Karlheinz Stockhausen have proposed new interpretations of the 19th century concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art). Relying on the latest technologies in the field of sound, light and automation, and often developed in close collaboration with architects, their revision of the total work of art entailed an open set of experiences admitting no privileged viewing position or single message. Such multisensory environments demand substantial financial resources and, therefore, more often than not emanate from public commissions or large corporations. That does not necessarily compromise the artistic integrity of such a project. Indeed, a quick survey of the last World Fairs reveals how several artists have succeeded in exploiting the latest technological achievements in their field to creative and critical ends rather than for social manipulation and economic gain. As we argue in this article, by turning an ideologically or commercially charged brief into an artistic and technological statement, the Philips Pavilion (1958) by Xenakis and Le Corbusier, Stockhausen’s Kugel-Auditorium (1970) or the Blur Building (2002) by Diller & Scofidio and the Swiss Pavilion by Peter Zumthor at Expo 2000 in Hannover, interrogate the most fundamental aspect of architecture, namely its materiality.

Jaar van publicatie:2022

Toegankelijkheid:Open