Le Corbusier
Hyde + Hyde Architects visited the Le Corbusier — The Art of Architecture exhibition at the Barbican Art Centre. The first major survey in London of the internationally renowned architect in more than 20 years. The exhibition presents a wealth of original models, interiors, drawings, furniture, photographs, films, tapestries, paintings, sculpture and books designed and written by the architect.
Hyde + Hyde Architects Review
Having spent years discovering and at times studying fastidiously the drawings of Le Corbusiers many buildings. We were then of course delighted as we walked through the white walls of the exhibition to find his original working drawings on display. In books and various monographs plans of the architects master works are often presented as small but perfect diagrammatic abstractions. A conceptual sketch was often included that in no way captured the toil, or presented any evidence of the process of time in the production of the final building.
Yet what we discovered and what effected us the most at the Barbican Exhibition was not the beautiful utopian models or photographs; but the truly awe inspiring large scale working drawings. They present an unpublished window that gave a vivid glimpse of ‘the patient search’. Such relics are often overlooked.
Nevertheless, standing in front of a large scale ‘A1′ working drawing of Ronchamp reminds us that everyday we have to discern between the semiotics of everyday life; then occasionally, among all this noise we find ourselves confronted with an authentic historical artefact that arguably changed the course of modernism.
These large scale technical drawings often unseen, recaptured like no other single part of the exhibition the shear heroicism of the architectural project.
Exhibition: The Art of Architecture: 19 Feb – 24 May 2009
for more information visit the Barbican Art Gallery