Concrete Worlds
Founding directors of The Modern House Matt Gibberd and Albert Hill shine a new light on Modernist architecture from the 1920s to the present day. Ornament is Crime journeys be颅tween the decades to liberate Modernism from its traditional definitions and proposes its continuing presence in the work of 21st century architects as well as in the designs of van der Rohe and Gropius.
Through elegant spreads and striking exam颅ples 鈥 all in black and white 鈥 Ornament is Crime provides an intriguing manifesto. Buildings are grouped into aesthetically comparable collec颅tions, enabling common lineages to become vis颅ible. In one instance, Takeshi Hosaka鈥檚 Architects鈥 House in Yokohama (2012) is placed next to Le Corbusier鈥檚 Maison Guiette (1926) in Belgium, their forms unified by Louis Sullivan鈥檚 words urging us to 鈥渁bandon ornament and concentrate on buildings that were charming in their sobriety.鈥
The use of quotes from cultural figures as diverse as Leonard Cohen and Kazimir Malevich here reframes Modernism as a timeless dialogue.
Selina Oakes
Credits:
1.聽Aluminum House, Courtesy of Fran Silvestre Arquitectos.