Twenty-three alternative practices involving architects?whose work focuses
on creating ideas rather than buildings?are showcased in the CCA?s current exhibition.
TEXT Tanya Southcott
PHOTOS CCA Montreal unless otherwise noted
The Other Architect, the current exhibition at the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), points to a truth long upheld by the profession?that architectural practice involves much more than the realization of buildings. The artifacts displayed instead invite us to contemplate the work of architects in producing ideas. This other side of architecture, the exhibition argues, plays a central role in setting contemporary cultural agendas.
The exhibition is organized around 23 case studies?works by interna­tional and multidisciplinary groups dating from the 1960s to the present that challenge the methods, tools and organization of traditional design practice. The diverse material presented across the CCA?s main galleries shares a commitment to architectural research as a project in its own right. A diagram showing OMA and AMO?s relationships within real and virtual spheres.
At every stage, the exhibition challenges the idea that buildings are the ultimate architectural object. This is most notable at the entry, where an oversized presentation model by Office for Metropolitan Architecture literally blocks direct access. Too large for this foyer, the model squeezes visitors to the periphery, a bodily experience that reminds us how difficult seeing beyond ...