Curatorial project concepts and practices

Curation

Beyond Function: Form for Form's Sake

Architecture occupies a unique place in the art world because architecture possesses a practical dimension that few other art forms possess. The interface between form and function is classic and endemic to the study, practice, art, and science of architecture. Even the most cursory survey of architecture throughout human history reveals the ways architects transcend the need-driven function of form, to create forms with cultural, symbolic, and emotional content. "The poetic experience of space, light, and form remains the subject of architecture," (Hill 4). This poetry of architectural experience is evident in the art of the 20th century, and especially in the curvilinear and whimsical creations of Frank Gehry and Antonio Gaudi. Both Gehry's Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and Gaudi's Casa Milo Apartments in Barcelona reveal ways architects use form to communicate culture, which is why they are included in the Beyond Function: Form for Form's Sake special collection.

Gehry's iconic museum in Bilbao, Spain houses the Peggi Guggenheim collection of art. The structure transformed an otherwise industrial town into one that fuses art and science (Van Buggen and Gehry). In fact, the placement of the Frank Gehry museum symbolizes the spirit of architecture itself: a blend of form and function that is at once aesthetically appealing, culturally relevant, and historically meaningful. Designed to function as a museum of art, the architect had the opportunity to create a structure to match the magnitude of the collection within. Gehry affirms fully the role of the architect in doing more than just creating four walls and a shelter from the elements. Instead, Gehry states, "I'm interested in architecture as a work of art, and whether it will hold up as art," (cited by Cuff 37). Indeed, the Gehry Guggenheim museum achieves this lofty goal. It is remarkably curvilinear and fluid, and yet also has a solid, reliable feel due to its apparent weight and heaviness. Paradoxically, the museum feels light and welcoming, even if not warm. The structure reflects multicolored light because of the architect's selection of experimental materials like titanium shingles that "shimmer…changing color…according to the time of day or the weather," ("Chapter 29: The Postmodern Era: Art Since 1980").

Also a part of the Beyond Function: Form for Form's Sake special collection is Antonio Gaudi's Casa Milo apartment complex in Barcelona. Occupying an otherwise normal city block in the Catalonian capital, the Casa Milo represents the culmination of Gaudi's artistic expression. The apartment complex exemplifies Gaudi's commitment to moving beyond the rigid dictum of purely functional architecture, while also providing a fully functioning and highly relevant edifice. Curvilinear and lacking the appareance of any straight lines, the Casa Milo is representative of the body of Gaudi work, which is acknowleged by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as being of tremendous historical and cultural worth. The presence of the Casa Milo in Barcelona is testimony to the city's emergence as a global hub of art and culture.