Tetsuo Kondo Architects

Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On

/ Amie Inman / Leave a comment

Cloudscapes (2010), Transsolar and Tetsuo Konda Architects

The Venice Architectural Bienale has a long history of showcasing innovative, thought provoking design and the Arsenale is a ideal venue to experience it.  Once the largest industrial complex before the Industrial Revolution, in the 16th century the assembly line system was so efficient that it is said they could complete the manufacture of a ship in one day. (I won’t go into the number of trees required to feed this system throughout the centuries…)

The exhibition space of the Corderie, built in 1303 and then rebuilt between 1576 and 1585, covers a 6400 square meter surface that includes nearly 10 meter high ceilings, a magnitude that allows for a range of installations in the 2010 Bienale themed “People Meet in Architecture”.

Cloudscapes is an aerie (and slightly eerie) example of the possibilities.   Continue reading →

Blazing Trails

/ Amie Inman / 1 Comment

When the Estonian city of Tallinn was named the 2011 European Capital of Culture organizers immediately started planning a festival to highlight the fact that the city has much more to offer than the picture postcard views.  The LIFT11 Urban Installations Festival is intended to showcase the city’s innovative use of public space from 12 June to 22 October 2011.

The temporary urban installations range from objects of art and architecture, to land art installations set up in and around the city space.  The pieces are meant to be interactive, asking visitors to use their senses in how they perceive them, including their sense of humor. Continue reading →