27/08/2022
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙪𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚
𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙖𝙣 (𝙈𝙈𝘼𝙈) - AGENDA
The MMAM workshop encourages its participants to explore, map out and narrate a variety of local Mediterranean 20th-century architectural traditions to enrich our understanding of their common elements, as well as their distinct conditions, define areas of controversy, and construct the tools that will enable both their negotiation and representation, while, at the same time, creating ways to communicate their research to the broader audiences of MMAM.
The MMAM workshop situates itself in an interstice space between theory and design, in an attempt to locate a Modern Architectural identity of the Mediterranean and investigate its potential representation(s) in an open and critical manner.
The purpose of this workshop is to examine the concept of a museum of modern architecture as it has been evidenced in the Mediterranean Sea. Upon revising modernism’s legacy in the current era, a key observation may be that modernism reinforced an international style and one that is relevant nowadays with the increase of globalisation due to the expanded communication networks and the www.
Organization
The workshop is organized into the following two phases:
1. Database. The first one is the development of a database of modern architecture resourced from different locations around the Mediterranean. Various examples of modern architecture will be shown so that modernism is linked with aims and aspirations with regards to the urban space, the street, the public square, the modes of habitation and the interaction with different locations, cultural and landscape backgrounds deployed in the Mediterranean. Moreover, these examples document and summarize a modern edifice’s relationship with its cultural and landscape environment, the new spatial experiences being introduced, the technologies with regards to structure, modular system, material and building techniques and the architectural vocabulary widely recognized as a distinct architectural style. This body of references outlines a set of shared knowledge that can be invoked during the group’s discussions, the terminology and set of aims examined during the workshop activities. This material may also serve as a versatile content intended for the museum of modern architecture as manifested throughout the Mediterranean Sea.
2. Trojan Horse. The second theme consists of the main project. The project’s main theme is the design of a Trojan Horse for modern architecture. The theme is inspired by the following references, each setting a different starting point:
- Aldo Rossi’s Teatro del Mondo platform, which opened in Venice on the architectural biennale in Venice in 1979.
- Marcel Duchamp’s Boîte-en-valise, or Box in a Suitcase, a portable miniature portfolio in the form of a luggage unit that includes reproductions of the artist’s own work.
- Noah’s Ark, or a boat shell containing God’s creations as presented in the story of Genesis, a concept that has been revived in the Global Seed Vault project located in Svalbard Mountain in a remote Arctic Island in a Norwegian archipelago with the capacity to store up to 4.5 billion seeds.
- Pandora’s box artifact, which according to the myth of Pandora stating that curiosity led Pandora to open a container left in the care of Hesiod, Pandora’s husband, thus releasing physical and emotional curses upon mankind.
- A traveler’s chest used as storage box to keep a family’s valued belongings.
- A common paper and/or plastic bag taking its shape by the objects being carried in it.
- Aris Konstandinidis’ Vessel of Life concept, by which the seminal architect examines true architecture as a genuine expression of life through an ordinary built structure integrated organically with life and the natural environment.
- The plastic Taper, a semi-transparent container practically shaped for storing and protecting food as well as other common objects.
- An intermodal container, a standard van unit primarily used to store, protect, ship and transport materials and products efficiently and securely, across different modes of transport from ship to rail to truck without unloading and reloading their cargo.
- A wrapped object or building as artist Christo proposed, a technique commonly used to protect, hide, and ship objects in the form of a package wrapped with paper, or fabric and ropes.
Whether as platform, suitcase, ark, box, traveler’s chest, bag, vessel, taper, container, or wrapped package, any of these tentative themes manifests the ability to contain different material and can be translated into various forms of spatial defining. In the case of a museum of modern architecture, it may hint of a quality of modern life that may transform to a statement about modern architecture placed at various locations of the Mediterranean Sea. As such, Trojan Horse may be suggestive of a “portable” version about a museum of modern architecture that can be unfolded and be adapted to meet coastal areas of the Mediterranean as advertised by each group. In that sense, a portable museum of modern architecture meets with an otherwise tabula rasa condition of modernism’s international style to create spaces of activity and interaction with modern architecture placed at different loci of Mediterranean Sea’s multicultural seashore.
Working groups
The participants will be divided into 4 to 5 groups. Special attention will be given so that the groups be of versatile cultural background, also expertise, skills, and level of study.
Program schedule
The workshop is roughly organized into the following schedule:
1st day – Sunday, September 4th. The development of a database of modern architecture with reference to the multitude of expressions modernism has been localized. Each group will prepare a set of about 100 photos of modern architecture buildings of their home country organized in a ppt presentation with full credits for each project. Each of the photos can also be accompanied by one keyword pinpointing at specific qualities of modern architecture. The databases will be presented and discussed at the end of the first day to the whole group.
2nd day – Monday, September 5th. Study trip to Dodoni Ancient Theater and Ioannina, Introduction to the main design project.
3rd day – Tuesday, September 6th. Milestone presentation of the content, modular system and structure of the Trojan Horse to the whole workshop. This phase includes an analysis of two references of the above list assigned to each of the groups, translated according to suit spatial and structural aims.
4th day – Wednesday, September 7th. Study trip to Zagorochoria Vernacular Settlements
5th day – Thursday, September 8th. Contextual adaptation of the design project.
6th day – Friday, September 9th. Work on the design project.
7th day – Saturday, September 10th Final presentation & Collective Assessment.
Every day, courses start at 10:00’, with two hours break at 14:00’ for lunch, and continue from 16:00’ to 20:00’.
On Monday the 5th and Wednesday the 7th, we have to gather at 09:30’ for the study trip.
The meal in Zagorochoria is not included. However, we are able to organize a common table in a local traditional restaurant with a cost of around 15 euros per person. Participation in this may be arranged at our first meeting on the 4th of September.
Deliverables
The database of phase 1 will be submitted and presented in the form of a digital slide presentation and will be available to the whole group. This material sets an idea of the Trojan Horse’s content, as a manifold testimony of Mediterranean modern architecture kept in a museum across the Mediterranean Sea.
The design project of phase 2 will be developed as a studio project and will be presented at the evening of the workshop’s last day.
Hardware and Software
The workshop will provide with access to a set of relative hardware, including desktops, laser cutter and 3D printer, if needed. Still, we suggest you bring your own personal laptops with you. Regarding the software needed, there is no specific requirement, but, still, participants are expected to be able to use and have installed in their personal computers all the usual vector (2D and 3D) and image processing software commonly used by architects and designers. Don’t forget to bring your swimming suits and check out weather reports on Ioannina before coming in order to prepare your luggage and clothing!
UMAR - The Museum of Modern Architecture at the Mediterranean Workshop 2022 lectures will be announced in future posts.
