Salon

Van Hoogstraten had a broom, I have a mop.

[random-brushstrokes]

Emanuel de Witte - Interior with a Woman at the Virginal (1665-70)

[beaft]

i love paintings that look as if they have ghosts in them

[beaft]

this painting by andrew wyeth has got SO many ghosts in it. most andrew wyeth paintings have ghosts in, but this is off the scale!

this painting by dragan bibin has only one ghost as far as i can tell, but it's a really scary ghost (the dog thinks so too)

this painting by meraud guevara looks very peaceful, but unfortunately it has a ghost in it. i can't tell you where, but it does

you might think you can see the ghosts in this dorothea tanning painting, but you're wrong. the little girls are just ordinary girls. the actual ghost is behind one of those doors.

marvin cone. for fucks sake just look at it

[jareckiworld]

Akira Ikezoe — Coconut Heads on the Diagram of Unified Modeling Language Activity   (oil on canvas, 2020)

[germanpostwarmodern]

The 1970s in the Netherlands was a decade of immense activity and experimentation in the field of housing: fostered by a state-funded program progressive quarters sprung up all over the country, new terms for conviviality were established and inhabitants were encouraged to shape their apartments and surroundings. An architect very engaged in the program and housing alike was Jan Sterenberg with his office based in Ter Apel, during this period one of the country’s largest. His agenda was the connection of industrial building and quality of living, cost saving and flexibility, a problem area pressing since the 1920s. But despite his significance at the time Sterenberg somewhat fell into oblivion and only now, against the background of a Europe-wide housing crisis, receives a career-spanning study: Michiel Kruidenier’s monograph “Groeikernen en Woonmilieus - Architect Jan Sterenberg en het Wonen in de Jaren 70”, recently published by NAi010 Publishers, interweaves Sterenberg’s work and the general currents of Dutch architecture, regional planning and housing in particular. As teacher at TH Delft his practice and research often intertwined and certainly stimulated experimentation and consolidated his reputation as a leading housing expert. As Kruidenier explains this quickly led to more and more commissions for housing developments and living quarters that in turn increased his involvement with prefabrication and building systems. The latter are comprehensively explained by the author and outline how Sterenberg continuously sought to improve the relationship between economy and quality. That these quarters are still thriving documents photographer Harry Cock whose five series capture their undeniably interesting layouts and unexpectedly calm atmosphere. “Groeikernen en Woonmilieus” refocuses a historic but again topical contribution to innovative 1970s housing that through the author’s extensive research and lucid writing receives its due appreciation. In view of a widespread housing shortage coinciding with often dull architectural solutions the book might serve as a source of inspiration for today’s architects.

[salonp]

[salonp]

Unfinished or Process Drawings 3

[salonp]

Unfinished or Process Drawings 2

[salonp]

Unfinished or Process Drawings 1

[salonp]

Man with a Movie Camera

Dziga Vertov’s story is the one of a proletary city. In the film, imaginary, composed by cuts from Kiev, Moscow and Odesa; in the salon, Rotterdam perhaps. I was surprised about the precision with which the reference was read. .  The analogy does not stop there: settling, awakening, working and leisure. Yelizaveta Svílova shelving the pictures, as memories and ideas. The film’s push for the interaction. Must see.

[salonp]

19/06/2020 Correction Perspectives

[salonp]

Zorro and Mary Poppins dueling in Rotterdam

There is something about corrections. They start shyly, trying not to get too real too soon. Then their difficulty increases. Finally, if lucky enough, things go postmod and laughter appears. Those are the moments of brilliance in which the project is something to play with, when everything is humanized. Perhaps the screens have cut down most of these moments, but they definitely have appeared. They somehow also occur while working this week.  I could upload a single version of the attempts, we all could have a course portfolio full of them. Is it worth it? I personally doubt it. Let’s go for a more histrionic combination. One where Zorro battles Mary Poppins during a correction and laughter is the texture of the project.

Combination of different attempts and the 16/06/2020 correction. 

[salonp]

The construction of the salon III

And here it is. Might not bet the best detail (there is no time for more), but keeps construction simple and without welding as expected; making the construction of the shelf (and ultimately of the salon) a non-specialized activity. Doable perhaps as the inauguration of the salon, accompanied with some drinks.

This detailing connects with my views on the contemporary salon.

On the one hand, architectonically, as a new place without the ‘service’ prejudices. There is no longer a need to hide the domestic view, the storage cannot keep being the dark moisty place.

On the other hand, mentally. Salons are, per definition, a space for ideas exchanging. These exchange, not only through words but also through actions (the room cannot solely be used for lectures), is the one where we shall shelve pieces of us on others and vice versa.

[salonp]

The construction of the salon II

The consequences of the afore posted photomontage, however, ended up being huge. The first attempt, as seen in the first publication of the corner collage, was through timber. Nonetheless, the dimensions did not seem quite right. Therefore steel was researched. But steel has a relevant problem, most solutions usually maintain columns continious or weld its pieces, making the in-site montage impossible. Therefore, the question was, how to make a shelf by ‘stacking tables’ without welding?

[salonp]

The construction of the salon I

It is curious how a, perhaps impulsive, decision has changed the project so much. Struggling with how the enormous cupboard had to look like I made this collage comparing the preeminence of the columns and of the boards. In an attempt to give the shelf an identity of its own, avoiding the scaffolding similarity, I thought the board (right) had to be the one uninterrupted. Additionally keeping the ‘stuck tables’ spirit on the cupboard construction.

[artist-dechirico]

Metaphysical Interior of studio, 1948, Giorgio de Chirico

Medium: oil,canvas

[cubism-art]

Sportsman, 1913, Kazimir Malevich

Medium: pencil,paper

[pop-up-x]

Tony Cragg - Stack, 1975