Critical Response to Anthony Vidler's article - Assignment Example

Architecture Order No. 596571 Introduction The 19th century ushered in an era of great interest in spatial thought and the uncertainties and anxieties faced in spatial modernism. However, the strong nostalgia felt for space both in theory and practice has never failed to fascinate us even in these contemporary times when technology has become so advanced. Considering all the advancement made, yet humans seemed to be much less in demand. The spatial supremacy of the past is reflected as a condition of “no space” in these modern times because neither time nor space has been given its rightful position.

In this essay we would be examining the concepts of space and void in close association with the work of Daniel Libeskind. Author Anthony Vidler sheds light on Daniel Libeskind’s Post-spatial void in his article titled “Building in Empty Spaces.” Examining the spaceless world the author tells us that modern conventions have forced us to comprehend the concept of spacelessness in spatial terms. Hence, terms such as ‘cyberspace’ and ‘cyber world’ help us to understand the concept of spacelessness.

In this context, Libeskind in his project enumerates his thoughts and ideas through his Victoria and Albert Museums ‘Broiler-house’. This ancient machine age structure is replaced with another machine – age structure which is avant garde in guise as well as in form and is one among the endless line of counter-spatial projects. Vidler cites the 1996 Rosalind Kraus and Yve- Alain exhibition held at the Centre Pompidou as one that informs the Victoria and Albert design. He refers to it as a ‘space-eating’ project which consumes space with a substance that is neither a liquid nor a solid.

The Jewish Museum Berlin by Libeskind portrays the political, cultural and social history of the Jews in Germany during the fourth century up to the present day. The museum has a rich historical background that explicitly integrates the events of postwar Germany and represents the horrifying repercussions of the Holocaust. In 2001 the museum was opened to the public and stands as one of the most significant buildings in Germany. A year prior to the Berlin wall coming down, Libeskind conceptualized this new design based on three crucial points.

Firstly, that it was impossible to understand Berlin’s history without understanding the immense cultural, intellectual and economic contribution of the Jewish citizens of Berlin. Secondly, Libeskind found it imperative to integrate the meaning of the Holocaust into the minds and hearts of the people both physically and spiritually and thirdly he felt it necessary to incorporate the erasure and void of the Jewish life in the city of Berlin. Hence, this museum has great historical significance by being a link between the past and present of Germany.

Vidler sheds light on the use of space and void in Libeskind’s museum and we see the same reflected in the structure of the museum building. The Baroque Kollegienhaus marks the entrance leading to a dramatic entry void by a stairway and progresses beneath the existing building foundation, crisscrossing underground and materializing outside as an independent building. On the surface, the old and new building appears autonomous but the contradicting fact is that both the buildings are bound together in the depth of space and time.

Vidler refers to the Vienna Holocaust Memorial and Richard Rogers South Bank project as reflecting similar schemes as in Libeskind’s museum and explains that the modernist nostalgia of space in its positive or negative form, projects itself as ‘all –consuming artifacts.’ (Vidler, Warped) Vidler explains that many theorists of modernism hold the notion that time and space are destructive of the object. In examining Libeskind’s building structure, Vidler explains how the new Jewish museum in Berlin is instructive and offers a different kind of “exhausted” space.

(Vidler, Warped) It was a conscious effort on the part of Libeskind as he reinterpreted the premise of “space architecture,” and according to R.M. Schindler, Libeskind made use of space to create an architectural piece by literally building it out of space. Through his architecture we find that Libeskind pays formal tribute to modernism. This is seen reflected in the three underground axial routes that mark the descent with each of the pathways having their own significance. The first is the Stair of Continuity which is the longest that leads to the museum’s exhibition spaces.

The second pathway leads to the Garden of exile and Emigration reflecting on the people who were forced to leave Berlin. The third pathway represented the Holocaust Void which was a dead end that creates a space embodying absence reflecting the powerful imagery of the avant- garde. Analyzing Libeskind’s architecture in both the Victoria and Albert and the Jewish Museum, with its unmappable spaces and unrecognizable exterior, Vidler expresses that it reflected the crisis of both body and mind and a bent towards a ‘haptic model of architectural experience.

’ (Vidler, Warped) which brings the modern and mystical together. Vidler explains that Libeskind’s ellipses reflects our modernity through his warped spaces, wandering paths with no perspective taking us into a labyrinth of uncertainty which he refers to as a ‘postspatial void.’ References Anthony Vidler. Warped – Art, Architecture, Anxiety and Modern Culture. Building in Empty Spaces: Daniel Libeskind and the Postspatial Void.