Wäinö Aaltonen Museum (WAM) 2007
As a part of my doctoral studies at the Academy of Fine Arts (University of the Arts, Helsinki) I was given means to curate an exhibition connected to my doctoral work, which was the planning and building of the Life on a Leaf house as a total artwork in Turku. The Wäinö Aaltonen Museum’s director Päivi Kiiski provided me with space – the whole museum – as well as curatorial and financial help. This gave me a fantastic platform to discuss and develop ideas together with the Canadian curator Jen Budney, also interested in the same issues concerning our built environment; that it could be a lot more fantastic. The museum curator Susanna Hujala was also an important member of the team, which had to solve all the problems with bringing here valuable scale models, connecting with artists and architects etc.
One of our ideas was to invite a few international artists and architects to build a scale model, called Jack in the Box, together. The model would travel and the next in turn continues on top of the earlier. Then we would build the result in the exhibition. Although we asked the participants to make low key input, the result turned out to be impossibly expensive to build. We made it into an animated video instead.
But the “normal” input for the exhibition tuned out to be fantastic. For example, we had a video installation by Diller Scofidio +Renfro, at that time wild outsiders, who now have grown into major players in the architectural world. Together with Budney we also wrote a book called WILD – Fantasy and Architecture (Unfortunately only in Finnish).
One of the main concepts was to put top end architects on the same starting line as DIY architects and artists doing architecture. Fortunately everyone invited was fine with this concept; to search for fantasy and creativity in architecture from all layers. This is what I am most proud of with this exhibition.
Participants invited to partake in the making of the scale model for Jack-in-the-Box project: Vito Acconci, Rosegarden, Will Alsop, Kim Adams
A. Earthbound
Various structures by Antonio Gaudi
Douglas Cardinal’s Museum of Civilization, Canada
Works by Ushida Findlay Partnership
Dragspelhuset (Accordion house) by 24H Architecture
Various projects by Eugene Tsui
City Farming Plant Modules by N55
Hobbit architecture
Classic Rock Architecture of Ferro-Cement
House by Marko Kaiponen
B. Heaven-Bent
Rudolf Steiner’s model of Goetheanum
Bruno Taut (and the Glashutte)
Various structures by Frederick Kiesler
Works by Erich Mendelsohn
Works by Hermann Finsterlin
C. Science Fiction
Douglas Cardinal’s Edmonton Space Science Centre
Vito Acconci’s Island in the Mur, Graz; and Park up a Building
Mariko Mori’s Spaceship (picture)
UFO Futuro by Mika Taanila (video)
Atelier van Lieshout
N55’s Microdwelling
The Kunsthaus Graz by Peter Cook (Spacelab Cook-Fournier)
Archigram’s Living Pod, Walking City, and other works
Intrapolis by Walter Jonas
D. Displaced Architecture (Jen)
Works by Mikael Genberg such as Hotel Woodpeck er or Otter Inn
Diller + Scofidio’s Blur House (video)
Will Alsop:Wakefield Nest
FAT’s Dysfunctional Suburban Hous
Littoral’s Merz-barn project
Works by Fortunato Depero
E. Fairytales, Myth and Pop
Will Alsop: Presentation of Rethinking Barnsley
Various works by Rosegarden
Vito Acconci’s Bad Dream House
Drawings by Elsa Beskow
Danielle Jacqui’s La Maison de Celle-Qui-Peint
FAT’s Kesselskramer, Camo House, and Kill the Modernist Within
Works by Hermann Finsterlin
James Rizzi house
The ornaments of Victor Horta
Various buildings by Hundertwasser
F. Repetition & Excess
Richard Greaves’s houses
Vito Acconci’s Philadelphia Airport Ticketing Terminal
Kurt Schwitters’Merzbau
Interior by Vilho Halmekari
The ornamentation of Louis Sullivan
House of Raymond Isidore
G. Mimesis
Various works by Rosegarden
Vito Acconci’s Model for a Playground and Convertible Clam Shelter
Greg Lynn’s Ark of the World
Jersey Devil Architects: Snail house, Aeroplane house, Football house, etc.
Oldenburg & van Bruggen’s binocular project with Frank Gehry
Jersey Devil Architecture
FAT
