The Fourth Dimension of Space
Dynamics, rhythm, movement, light and sequence are concepts common to both film and architecture. The exhibited works by second to fifth-year architecture students were created as an interpretation of 20-second sequences taken from various 20th century cult science fiction movies, thrillers and dramas, among them films by Tarkovsky, Hitchcock, van Trier, Vinterberg, Kurosawa and Lynch. Through the articulation of texture, light and shadows, and through the deformation of material and shape as a consequence of process, the foam-board exhibition panels were recycled into light bodies and sculptures.
The majority of these objects succeed in transcending the formal similarity between film and architecture. They reinterpret the opening themes of movie sequences by using mechanical, thermal and chemical processes to transform the basic material of the foam board to the outer limit of its (un)recognizability. The resulting unexpected shapes not only force the viewer to question its origins, but are also suggestive of an intensive emotional reaction. The emotional quality of the relationship between materiality, light, dynamics and transformation is the actual force that brings the creative world of architecture and film closest together.
The exhibition will also feature short film inserts in which the authors describe their intentions and experiences in creating their individual works. The exhibition is intended to encourage discussion on the necessity of diversity in architecture curricula. The standard established teaching methods, whereby the majority of student works result in a more or less scale model of a space – a reduced-scale visualization, architectural model or drawing – do not provide the knowledge and experience required to overcome the rational side of architecture. This in turn depletes the space of its ability to convey multi-layered meanings on all levels of the visual and cognitive process.
On the other hand, there is the relatively simple process of experimenting with basic materials, executed in an authentic manner and done in real scale, which provides a direct experience of the space and the rational and emotional reactions related to said space.
Despite the fact that time is commonly considered the fourth dimension in architecture, this exhibition attempts to draw attention to those elements of space that transcend or look beyond its definite, measurable and unambiguous formal Cartesian characteristics. Instead, it’s about the unmeasurable, unplanned and unimaginable dimensions of the sensual, emotional and semantic in architecture.
authors of the exhibition: Matej Blenkuš, Primož Žitnik, Ajdin Bajrović, Dominik Košak
Authors of exhibits: second through fifth year students of UL FA (University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Architecture)
The exhibition is part of the “Project space” programme. The programme is composed of smaller, shorter-run exhibitions chosen on an annual open call basis and which take place in the west wing of the Fužine castle. The exhibitions are co-produced together with partners and follow the criteria for uniformity of heritage in the fields of architecture, design and photography.