Each compartment is physically independent of the neighboring ones. The idea of creating physically independent volumes was born. How does this happen?
In the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa we decided to organize freely the exhibition boxes to stand independently one from another. Then we linked all the program with a glass circular space. The ring shapes the external form of the building and creates a set of relation to the variety of surroundings, without any hierarchies. With no front or back, the curved glazed perimeter opens gently into the surrounding landscape. Regarding the Toledo Museum of Art, the program is organized through layers of transparent walls. In this way the circulation through museum spaces is enriched by the greenery of the surrounding park. For both these projects in-between spaces connects inside and outside in a soft way.
2. What are the main aspects of your aesthetics, and what is your research methods in your work?
We are interested in the relationship between nature and architecture. It is very important for us to visit the site and to grasp many different aspects from the overall environment before starting every project. We then study and develop base schemes based on the surroundings, the program, the peculiarities of each situation. We work hard during this process in order to achieve a project that suits and add certain qualities to the specific reality we are dealing with. Our research relies on physical models. They are very helpful to verify proportions and spatial relations throughout all the project.
3. In your installation at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona you have inserted a transparent spiral inside building, the existing has remained practically intact. But the surface, almost invisible, changes building’s perception of Mies van der Rohe. What is the role of light in your architecture?
Mies Pavilion is connected to the outside through a courtyard and it is a space where natural light and wind come in. Our installation was made with acrylic, it was meant to let people who came in to feel something new while keeping the quality of the space of Mies Pavilion. I experienced a different perception than usual by mixing the architectural space I usually see with the landscape reflected by transparent acrylic. Due to the difference in brightness produced by natural light, the clear panel gives diversity to the reflecting landscape. I think that our installation always created a landscape with different impressions.
4. The installation you made for this Venice Biennale is a large transparent spiral. Can you explain how it was born ? What did you want to communicate?
The theme of this Biennale was Freespace. Since our exhibition was decided to be set in the Arsenale, we did a variety of studies on what we can do. Among them, we decided to create overlapping reflections by winding acrylic in rounds. There are small windows in the Arsenale; by bringing the outside scenery into the inside space with a number of reflections people looking at the indoor landscape would also mix in these different images. I wanted to display such diverse landscapes at the Arsenale.
