Salon

Dziga Vertov’s story is the one of a proletary city. In the film, imaginary, composed by cuts from Kiev, Moscow and Odesa; in the salon, Rotterdam perhaps. I was surprised about the precision with which the reference was read. .  The analogy does not stop there: settling, awakening, working and leisure. Yelizaveta Svílova shelving the pictures, as memories and ideas. The film’s push for the interaction. Must see.

There is something about corrections. They start shyly, trying not to get too real too soon. Then their difficulty increases. Finally, if lucky enough, things go postmod and laughter appears. Those are the moments of brilliance in which the project is something to play with, when everything is humanized. Perhaps the screens have cut down most of these moments, but they definitely have appeared. They somehow also occur while working this week.  I could upload a single version of the attempts, we all could have a course portfolio full of them. Is it worth it? I personally doubt it. Let’s go for a more histrionic combination. One where Zorro battles Mary Poppins during a correction and laughter is the texture of the project.

And here it is. Might not bet the best detail (there is no time for more), but keeps construction simple and without welding as expected; making the construction of the shelf (and ultimately of the salon) a non-specialized activity. Doable perhaps as the inauguration of the salon, accompanied with some drinks.

This detailing connects with my views on the contemporary salon.

On the one hand, architectonically, as a new place without the ‘service’ prejudices. There is no longer a need to hide the domestic view, the storage cannot keep being the dark moisty place.

On the other hand, mentally. Salons are, per definition, a space for ideas exchanging. These exchange, not only through words but also through actions (the room cannot solely be used for lectures), is the one where we shall shelve pieces of us on others and vice versa.

The consequences of the afore posted photomontage, however, ended up being huge. The first attempt, as seen in the first publication of the corner collage, was through timber. Nonetheless, the dimensions did not seem quite right. Therefore steel was researched. But steel has a relevant problem, most solutions usually maintain columns continious or weld its pieces, making the in-site montage impossible. Therefore, the question was, how to make a shelf by ‘stacking tables’ without welding?

It is curious how a, perhaps impulsive, decision has changed the project so much. Struggling with how the enormous cupboard had to look like I made this collage comparing the preeminence of the columns and of the boards. In an attempt to give the shelf an identity of its own, avoiding the scaffolding similarity, I thought the board (right) had to be the one uninterrupted. Additionally keeping the ‘stuck tables’ spirit on the cupboard construction.