Mark Yr Calendars
Yes, April is two months away, but it's worth noting an exhibition that will be at The Drawing Center in NYC from April 17 to June 15: Lebbeus Woods: Architect. The exhibition originated at SFMOMA last year and is currently at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University. In the spring it will arrive in the city Woods called home. Below are images and text from The Drawing Center's web page on the upcoming, and safe to say highly anticipated, exhibition.
Acknowledging the parallels between society’s physical and psychological constructions, architect Lebbeus Woods has depicted a career-long narrative of how these constructions transform our being. Working mostly, but not exclusively, with pencil on paper, Woods has created an oeuvre of complex worlds—at times abstract and at times explicit—that present shifts, cycles, repetitions within the built environment.
His timeless architecture is not in a particular style or in response to a singular moment in the field; rather, it offers an opportunity to consider how built forms are impact the individual and the collective, and reflect contemporary political, social and ideological conditions, and how one person contributes to the development and mutation of the built world.
Lebbeus Woods, Architect brings together works from the past forty years by one of the most influential designers working in architecture. Beyond architects, he has been hailed by designers, filmmakers, writers, and artists as a significant voice in recent history, his works resonate across many disciplines for their conceptual depth, imaginative breadth, lasting beauty and ethical potency.
The exhibition centers on transformation as a recurring theme, providing a framework for understanding the experimental nature of the work.
Acknowledging the parallels between society’s physical and psychological constructions, architect Lebbeus Woods has depicted a career-long narrative of how these constructions transform our being. Working mostly, but not exclusively, with pencil on paper, Woods has created an oeuvre of complex worlds—at times abstract and at times explicit—that present shifts, cycles, repetitions within the built environment.
His timeless architecture is not in a particular style or in response to a singular moment in the field; rather, it offers an opportunity to consider how built forms are impact the individual and the collective, and reflect contemporary political, social and ideological conditions, and how one person contributes to the development and mutation of the built world.
Lebbeus Woods, Architect brings together works from the past forty years by one of the most influential designers working in architecture. Beyond architects, he has been hailed by designers, filmmakers, writers, and artists as a significant voice in recent history, his works resonate across many disciplines for their conceptual depth, imaginative breadth, lasting beauty and ethical potency.
The exhibition centers on transformation as a recurring theme, providing a framework for understanding the experimental nature of the work.
Having gone to architecture school in the mid to late 90s, I got a healthy dose of Lebbeus Woods. I take exception to referring to him as an architect as he was neither a graduate of an architectural program nor a license holder. He was, and will continue to be, an extremely influential delineator along the lines of Hugh Ferriss. Having said that, we seem to be falling into an old habit of fetishizing a particular style of object with little regard for the people that might create or use it. I can only see one hint of a person in the images above, a tiny figure in the second one. If this is what we spend our time worrying about, should we be surprised when the societal relevance of our profession is questioned?
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