The new Vicenza exhibition focuses on the work and talent of David Chipperfield through select 17 projects from its four practices located in London, Berlin, Milan and Shanghai. The issues of style are already a subject of the past so revealing the processes of designing and creating architecture is crucial to understanding the values that unify an international body of work. The material exhibited varies from rough sketches and models relating to the beginning of the design process, to detail design and construction drawings at the end, and includes photographs and films of recently completed projects.
The projects include: Inagawa Cemetery chapel and visitor centre, Japan; Royal Academy of Arts masterplan, London; Neue Nationalgalerie refurbishment, Berlin; Valentino store concepts; Brioni store concept; Hoxton Press residential development, London; Zhejiang Museum of Natural History; James Simon Galerie, Berlin; Amorepacific headquarters, Seoul; West Bund Art Museum, Shanghai; Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich; Edinburgh music venue; Lah Contemporary, Bled; Private house, Zurich; Cavea Arcari performance space, Zovencedo; SSENSE, Montréal; Fundación RIA research project, Galicia, Spain.
While the majority of the exhibition focuses on these 17 projects, the first space in the centre provides an introductory overview of key buildings completed since the practice was founded in 1985.
The projects include: Inagawa Cemetery chapel and visitor centre, Japan; Royal Academy of Arts masterplan, London; Neue Nationalgalerie refurbishment, Berlin; Valentino store concepts; Brioni store concept; Hoxton Press residential development, London; Zhejiang Museum of Natural History; James Simon Galerie, Berlin; Amorepacific headquarters, Seoul; West Bund Art Museum, Shanghai; Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich; Edinburgh music venue; Lah Contemporary, Bled; Private house, Zurich; Cavea Arcari performance space, Zovencedo; SSENSE, Montréal; Fundación RIA research project, Galicia, Spain.
While the majority of the exhibition focuses on these 17 projects, the first space in the centre provides an introductory overview of key buildings completed since the practice was founded in 1985.
“We hope to expose in a more open manner, not a glossy presentation of an overview of our work, but a more open explanation of the work of the architect. The development of ideas is not consistent from project to project. Every process is subject to different possibilities and limits. Some projects develop intensely through a concentrated process of competition while others evolve through changes in circumstances and demands. Some are elaborated through sketches and modifications and some evolve through a more mechanical process of revision and the examination of alternatives. We have tried to give more insight into the process of design, showing it not as an act of individual genius, but as a collaborative and iterative method that is messy and unpredictable. A process which seeks to find ideas through a deeper understanding of place and purpose, rather than the imposition of ideas that confirm the formal prejudices of the architect, the client or even public opinion.”
David Chipperfield
The exhibition follows 'Essentials. David Chipperfield Architects. 1985-2015' exhibition at the ICO Museum and it is context with Grand restoration project to reconnect and revitalise Piazza San Marco
Twelve years after the last exhibition, held in 2006 before the closing of the Basilica for restoration, dedicated to the Japanese duo Kazuyo Sejima / Ryue Nishizawa, contemporary architecture return to the cultural panorama of Vicenza, underlining its importance for the history and identity of the city.
