American architect and artist Vito Acconci has died at the age of 77 as the result of a stroke. A visionary performance and installation artist in his early career, Acconci turned to architecture and furniture design in the 1980s, subscribing to the belief that to truly make an impact on society, one needed to be designing objects that were “part of the world.”
In this video from Crane TV, Italian architect and designer Gaetano Pesce talks about his philosophy of art and architecture as an expression of reality. His philosophy raises the question of whether architecture itself should become symbolic of its time and place or express an idea in the way that art often can. Beyond a symbolic nature, Pesce also suggests that architecture could be humorous or act as an extension of artistic expression. “Architecture is the king or queen of the arts,” he says, summarizing his beliefs.
Last week we brought you another video from Crane TV on Vito Acconci, which explored why the goal of architecture is not always a completed building. As another architect who blurs the lines between buildings and art, Pesce’s unbuilt projects are an important tool through which he continually seeks new discoveries to prompt further design innovations.
In this video from Crane TV, writer, poet, artist, and architect Vito Acconci discusses why his goal is not always to have his projects realized. Beginning his career with an education in creative writing from the University of Iowa, Acconci expresses his longtime desire as an artist for art to become “part of the world,” explaining that this eventually led him to extend his creativity beyond words and artworks. Architecture was the perfect vehicle for this because, unlike art, it is inescapable: "there isn't any place you can be where you aren't in the middle of architecture," he says.
However, unlike many architects, his projects push beyond the constraints of realistic structures, and he estimates that only 10 percent of Acconci Studio’s proposals are realized. To some architects this would seem like a failure, but to Acconci it means that his creative ideas are unprecedented, perhaps paving the way for what architecture could be in the distant future.
Following on from their previous 'videopolemic' tribute to Lebbeus Woods, 32BNY has released their second video featuring artist and designer Vito Acconci's response to the question, "Is architecture art?". Having straddled both architecture and art throughout his carrer, Acconci is cleary comfortable in discussing their relationship, as he talks passionately about the importance of putting people at the center of both. "Because architecture is used... it can possibly be misused, and once it is misused, I think, the user goes one step further...than the architect".
More about Acconci after the break...