are you really sure that a floor can't also be a ceiling?
Increasing globalization not only forces economies to become more and more dependent from each other; also the global ecological system is accelerated by the continuous increase of human activities. The complexity of the impact of this on the environment can be understood as the butterfly effect, a term used to describe the sensitive (inter)dependence of different actions on initial conditions, showing how tiny variations can affect giant and complex systems. The flapping wings of a butterfly can cause a chain of events leading to large-scale alterations. Had the butterfly not flapped its wings, the trajectory of the system may have been vastly different. True or not, small actions can affect change in complex systems in unexpected ways.
Humans are very slow becoming aware of their role. Changing direction is not easy when economic growth is the magic word. If we as a species want to survive, radical steps are needed to something about the gap between growth and sustainability.
Butterflies are indicator species for climate change, as they are particularly sensitive to environmental degradation. Their decline thus serves as an early warning on environmental conditions.
Also Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth house (built in 1951, and considered one of the most radically minimalist houses ever designed, conceived as an indoor-outdoor architectural shelter fully intertwined with the domain of nature) can be seen as an indicator of man's impact on the environment.
Humans are very slow becoming aware of their role. Changing direction is not easy when economic growth is the magic word. If we as a species want to survive, radical steps are needed to something about the gap between growth and sustainability.
Butterflies are indicator species for climate change, as they are particularly sensitive to environmental degradation. Their decline thus serves as an early warning on environmental conditions.
Also Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth house (built in 1951, and considered one of the most radically minimalist houses ever designed, conceived as an indoor-outdoor architectural shelter fully intertwined with the domain of nature) can be seen as an indicator of man's impact on the environment.
are you really sure that a floor can't also be a ceiling?
The house can also be seen as a reinterpretation of a museum vitrine on the scale of a conservatory, as something that reveals something else. Situated close to the Fox River and built on stilts, it was designed not to flood during high water. But as a result of urbanization and climate change, the river began to rise dramatically since the 1950s. And, since over ten years the river regularly floods the house. Are you really sure that a floor can't also be a ceiling? brings these elements together in an architectural model loosely based on the Farnsworth house. But here, the display case serves as a temporary home for butterflies – the ultimate symbols of transformation, change and recycling. Radical change is inherent to their life cycle. As they transition from one state to another, they are never quite what they appear to be.
Visitors can enter the house. The glass walls offer a full view of the artificial greenhouse and shows the visitors inside like actors on a stage. They, too, are on display. The transparent walls protect the climate inside and create a membrane between the interior space and the museum space. Both nature and the public become a spectacle within the confines of the museum walls.
Are you really sure that a floor can't also be a ceiling? takes it title from a quote of M.C. Escher
Enel award (2010), nominated by Hou Hanru.
With thanks to Enzo Moretto, ethymologist Butterfly arc, Padua (IT)
Flickr images
Visitors can enter the house. The glass walls offer a full view of the artificial greenhouse and shows the visitors inside like actors on a stage. They, too, are on display. The transparent walls protect the climate inside and create a membrane between the interior space and the museum space. Both nature and the public become a spectacle within the confines of the museum walls.
Are you really sure that a floor can't also be a ceiling? takes it title from a quote of M.C. Escher
Enel award (2010), nominated by Hou Hanru.
With thanks to Enzo Moretto, ethymologist Butterfly arc, Padua (IT)
Flickr images
