OBJEKT international

article in magazine 02/2009

“Metamorphism

The premise of the Belgian designers Xaveer Claerhout and Barbara Van Biervliet is new kinetic architecture. In 1995 they started their architecture practice and attempted to incorporate their fascination for kinetic architecture as much as possible in their work. For some years they have been developing movement and deformation in objects and buildings. In 2006 that resulted in the first prototypes of deformable light fittings. Their meeting with the Venetian art dealer Adriano Berengo was significant – he was very excited when he saw their prototypes. The designers presented their work in New York with Berengo Studio and there, too, reactions were enthusiastic. Meanwhile the project has been named ‘Metamorphism’.

The designers elucidated:
“Metamorphism is a geological term for the changes in rocks due to influences of pressure and heat. It is such transformation we also aim at: slow and at first barely noticeable, but with a significant result. The dimension of motion we are looking for should always be essential. The change of form can produce not only amazement, but also a change in the object’s function. Accordingly, a lamp, which first sheds light upwards and downwards, can, after metamorphosis, spread light around. Adding tension to flexible materials can, in an innovative way, contribute to our concept of change.”

The architects have implemented their ideas on a larger scale as well. Just think of a building in which, thanks to transformation, certain façade components can open and close depending on the requirements of a specific moment. That is not only good for energy management, but also alters the building’s appearance dramatically.

“The design reform we aim at is not primarily an increasingly complex form of architecture or object. It is a matter of combining materials with specific micro-technological characteristics and thus achieving a desired form depending on the function. This permits a new, dynamic design world that as yet is almost unexplored.”

‘Il Sacro e Il Materiale’ examines the way in which materials enlighten the mind, thus bringing concrete and abstract things closer to the human soul. With the architect Filippo Saponaro, Marco Viola pays homage to materials in their elementary structure. This structure is closely related to the complexity of the mind. Viola creates havens, amulets in the form of spaces which not only emphasise the essence of the material, but also penetrate deep into the viewer’s soul. They are miniature cathedrals, facilitating a journey through the simplicity and sensation of the material.”