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London, 3rd of March 1998 London Exhibitions; Reflections on Architectural Theory The opening exhibitions in London 1998 seem to have taken a turn towards the theoretical aspects of architecture. Artist Thomas Schütte's first important show in Britain is currently on at the Whitechapel Gallery, in East London. Shütte poses with his work certain questions which extend to the realm of architecture. A series of architectural models evoke a personal world of mystery, discomfort and symbols, which align the artist with Kafka's universe. This is achieved by the use of building elements in an enigmatic way: a complex system of stairs and ramps that lead to dead ends, chimneys without an opening, empty undefined rooms. The models are built out of wood on a scale of 1:20, borrowed from the world of scenography. Their titles: For the Birds, Basements, Collectors follie, Studio I-V, enhance their allegoric character. Another exhibitions which reflects on issues of architectural theory is housed by the RIBA under the title, The Displaced Grid. Here the idea of mobility and of an ever shifting grid in post-war architecture is expressed through a series of models by eminent architects. An idea present in the work of several architects like Yona Friedman, David-Georges Emmerich, Pascal Haüsermann and Ionel Schein is that of architecture which is mobile and easy to install anywhere, giving thus an active role of construction and change to the inhabitant. Displacement as implosion or fragmentation is visible in Bernard Tschumi's, Rem Koolhaas & Madelon Vriesendrop's and Decq & Cornette's work. The element of metamorphosis and of a travelling metropolis is explored in Peter Cook's drawings of Instant City visits Bornemouth. Peter Cook's work is currently on show in Manchester as part of a retrospective exhibition on Archigram, previously shown in Vienna. A new series of publications under Black Dog Publishing, edited by Duncan McCorquodale, called Serial Books - Architecture & Urbanism, is examining current tendencies in those fields. The first issue by Nicholas Boyarsky and Nicola Murphy is called Action Research and deals with projects which generate architecture based on actions and which subsequently transform them into form. Kevin Rhowbotham's essay Field Event/ Field Space will be published as the second issue of the series. Stewart Dodd, BA (Hons)Dip.Arch, tutor - Bartlett school of Architecture, London |