Cite Fall 1988 Citeations STUCCO-PLASTER RESTORATION Architectural Art: Affirming the Design Relationship

FINELY CRAFTED Organized by the American whose role had been to produce mysterious mini-labyrinth room, executed Museum, in affiliation with the New ornamental programs from a traditional in two lovely finishes of copper, ARCHITECTURAL York Chapter of the American Institute language of conventions. The "modern providing a setting for stiffened fabric of Architects artist" also emerged, with a burden of pieces. New York's Tod Williams and CAST STONE American Craft Museum, New York constant individual creativity, what has Billie Tsien and Mary Miss's Telephone 12 May - 4 September 1988 been characterized as the "anxiety of Booths is a mandala-like kiosk (with functioning pay telephones) executed in SANTA FE FIREPLACES influence." What "Architectural Art" Reviewed by Peter C. Papademetriou proposes is the positive benefit of nearly unfinished (fabricated by SMOOTH or FLUTED collaboration between architects and Steven lino) and metal (fabricated by PILASTERS New York's American Craft Museum was artists, and in some cases, fabricators Petar Jevremov), The Southwest is the summer home for the exhibition (craftsmen). represented by Rice University's Peter MOTIFS "Architectural Art: Affirming the Design Waldman (an associate professor of Relationship" (its opening coincided with The exhibition is organized in four ), the University of Houston's BASES and CAPITALS the presence of the AIA national sections: a historical preface of examples Christopher Genik (an assistant professor convention) and it was curated by from New York, such as Rockefeller of architecture), and Edward Wilson ARCHES architect/architectural historian Robert Center; work by eleven artists; four sites, (who teaches in the Department of Art & Jensen. Jensen, who co-authored the both exterior and interior; and four Art History at Rice}. Originally entitled KEYSTONES book Ornamentalism: The New "regional" collaborations from young (according to the video) Tfiree Transformations or Totem to Tomb, the CONSULTING SERVICES Decorativeness in Architecture and artists and architects. The historical Design (Potter, 1982), proposes that examples, spanning from I900 to the piece was to be three separate elements, CHIMNEY CAPS "architectural art" retains its own early 1970s, would suggest a seminal but the pragmatics of execution resulted inherent integrity, emphasizing a dialogue basis for architectural art. A metal screen in a single object, A Spatial Tale of WINDOW SILLS between the work and its setting. This art by Harry Bertoia of the mid-1950s seems Origin. A light wood and metal box, often has a programmatic basis, such as closest to the mark, while Tiffany's open like a kind of drawbridge ramp, TABLETS COLUMNS actually functioning as an architectural windows somewhat muddy its definition; contains a mechanistic element activated element (column, wall, floor, door, etc.), the Rockefeller Center works recall the by sand; this is "enclosed" by a large- REPRODUCTIONS and it may participate in the spatial WPA period, which is in itself another scale wheel, with exposed pieces that appear as gears or gyroscopic PLASTER STUCCO requirements of a place. Such art is not analogy. If the artists themselves were not like traditional ornament, which is meant inherently interested in expanding beyond components. Its static presentation in the CORNICES to enhance the form of a building, and its the gallery or studio venue, then "art in exhibition belies the obvious dynamic conceptual underpinnings set it apart public places" from recent possibilities of the piece (it solves the PATCHING from the material programs of corporate/developer or "one percent for question of mobility, certainly); postmodernism. In fact, the artists art" government mandates have created unfortunately, it also demands space ACCENT WALLS represented largely derive their new opportunities as they did in the around it and has wound up cramped in approaches from the "new tradition" of Depression. The contemporary artists its setting. Most of the pieces exhibit UNIQUE HOODS modern art's abstraction of form. generally succeed in validating the aspects of fabrication, with connections exhibition's premise, from Scott Burton's generally expressed. The Waldman- granite "boulder" chairs, or Richard Genik/Wilson piece has a slight Reconciliation appears to be somewhat elaborated frenzy about its pieces (one of the theme of the exhibition. Early Haas's more literal works (puns, almost), to Muriel Castanis's figurative pieces that the wittiest being an array of 48 modern architecture in the heroic period peepholes used as "rivets"), while the of the International Style removed all sit well in Burgee and Johnson's PoMo CURTIS 580 Street, or Stephen Williams-Tsien/Miss piece is perhaps the ornament as an ideological purge, most lovingly considered set of attempting to create the forms of a Antonakos's neon piece for Harrison & Abramovitch's Rose Art Museum at connections (since its components were (713) 477-6118 technological and industrialized society. fabricated in two places and brought This eliminated the skilled craftsman. Brandeis University, executed 25 years after the building, which literally teaches together). The Fisher-Berlant and an old dog new tricks. Waldman-Genik/Wilson pieces remain as art objects, however; although the former is "spatial," its overscaled metaphor Kv The finest metal design Houstonians will note Albert Paley's contributes to its being a kind of large pylons and hardware for the Wortham toy, while the latter's imploded energy and fabrication at— Theater Center, pieces which likewise makes it an object in space. While the compensate for a missing level of detail. V* The "sites" section includes the extensive me BRASS imiden exterior spaces of New York's Battery S%r Park City, the festive range of elements •it lr --from railings to beds. for the Rainbow Room, and the stations 1 1 /T for Detroit's People Mover System, which **T\ { A include several tile works executed by Diana Kulisek in regional Pewabic . In addition, James Carpenter's l I 1 minimalist chancel window tor Edward / Larrabee Barnes's Christian Theological Seminary Chapel show how integrated a ' < ' . 1 ^ m work may be yet still exert a powerful presence which expands the architect's initial intention. HI 2035 Portsmouth v '^fc Houston, Texas 77098 t^KT\ 1 The four collaborations close out the ^^^flM| i^^^tf 1 ' (713)523-8413 exhibition; the architect/artist teams were Right "Totem to Taboo" by Peter Waldman. given a specific budget and a volume Chris Genik and Edward Wilson; Jeff; Aj)fll Rapier 8-by-8-by-8 feet. The "program" was for "Chapel" by W.G.Clarke an enclosure, although no project review was held previous to installation; other Clark-Menefee/Hanes piece approaches specific instructions included the capacity art as architecture, the Williams- Terra Surveying Company— to be installed and relocated easily. A Tsien/Miss kiosk succeeds in reading videotape interview with each of the both as object and as enclosure; its providing a full range of land surveying teams, part of the overall exhibition fearless use of Bell Telephone hardware installation, is interesting as it shares may be the critical element of realism with the visitor a view into the that fuses the crossover. services to the Houston and Austin collaborations, and similar misgivings expressed among them. Among these are As an antidote to the decorated nostalgia development communities: a feeling by the architects that there festooning recent American architecture, wouldn't be enough constraint, and the possibilities of "Architectural Art" •Development Plats ^Topographic Surveys among the artists that there might be too suggest that an approach more based in much. the heritage of modern experimentation is •Boundary Surveys "Tree Surveys an alternative to expanding the material, California's Frederick Fisher and Tony representational, and aesthetic properties •Completion Surveys Berlant's Earthquake Shelter (fabricated of the built environment. by Pamela Burgess) is a construction in almost two scales; a "normal" bed is The exhibition will be shown at the skewed or sheared from the footrest of an Trammell Crow Center in Dallas from 4 •HXHI Wondu-ay HCtai Capital nf Tcvrn. Tenth Rom HiRnuny oversized drafting table (on which sits a November to 30 December 1988. The Hnuhlon, Trtas Suite .148 little house). The South's Clark & New York-focused historical section will 77056 TIEI1I1A AuMin. Temn. 7H7.iW Menefee with artist Judith Morrill not travel. • (7131 99&0327 (BID 84*42*0 SURVEYING Hanes's Chapel more literally evokes the COMPANY, I N C . volumetric context, providing a Cite Fall 1988 23 OVWA

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A View From Brooklyn, 1954. Photograph by Rudy Burckbardt.

Rudy Burckhardt 1708 Sunset Boulevard Houston, Texas 77005 A Survey, Photographs from 1937-1985 713/528-2264

DiverseWorks, Houston photographing artists and art works for 27 February - 2 April 1988 New York City galleries. The DivcrseWorks survey included Reviewed by Joanne Lukitsh Burckhardt's photographs from in and outside of New York City, a selection of oyoJaer2 See with photographs, you can do. . .The his portraits of artists, including same day you can take a conventional members of the New York School. and ^Mirmivergary composition, and you can take a wild the reinstallation of a collaboration anti-composition. It's very easy with a (originally displayed at the Gotham Book camera you know. . ..You can jump from Mart) sequencing his photographs around Madame Hasbean, HCB's 1/2 bag Gothot one mode almost immediately to another. a poem by Denby. roaster, has been roasting coffee beans since You can take a photograph like Titian, 1938 when she began her 50-year career. another like Van Gogh, another like Burckhardt's subject matter - commercial 1988 also marks the 15th year since the Mondrian - all in the same signs, New York City buildings, founding of House of Coffee Beans as day.. . .That s why photography is architectural details, people in the street Houston's original coffee store. Come and slightly unsatisfactory, because it's too - is related to the work of such drink to Madame's golden 50th and our quick, too instantaneous in some ways, photographic contemporaries as Waller gourmet 15th — we brew four of Madame's unless you get something special. - Rudy Evans and Bernice Abbott. But 60 fine coffees every day for you to sample 1 Burckhardt Burckhardt's difference from the social Monday - Saturday. referencing of their documenting projects Rudy Burckhardt's preference for the is suggested by his pleasure at moving pleasures of the camera's representational from the Titian to the Van Gogh mode, options over the achievement of a from ami- to conventional composition. HOUSE tf/oOFFEE BEANS distinctive authorial style has contributed Burckhardt understood photographic Houston's ••original coffee store since 1973. to his relative obscurity within standard instantaneity as a metaphor for histories of photography. DiverseWork's perception, for artistic value. In this 2520 Rice Boulevard in the Village 524-0057 10-6 Monday- Friday. 10-5 Saturday exhibition (as part of Houston's FotoFest) regard. Burckhardt's initial astonishment of a survey of Burckhardt's photographs at the difference in scale between (initiated by Phillip Lopate, who building and people in New York City, a contributed an essay in appreciation of disparity he initially resolved by taking Burckhardt's work) introduced street-level views and later, building and Burckhardt to both local and national street, is telling. In the best of audiences and gave a sense of his work in Burckhardt's photographs, particularly in the context of New York City artistic the images montaged with Denby's culture since the late 1930s. poems, he represents the passages of pedestrians and city spaces animated, In 1935, at the age of 21, Swiss-born rather than suffocated, by surrounding Burckhardt moved to New York City with architecture and light. • We're big on small business, Edwin Denby, later a dance critic, poet, and great admirer of Burckhardt's work. Initially astonished at the difference in Noies scale between buildings and people in the streets of New York City, Burckhardt 1 Conversations with Rudy Burckhardt About Everything. New York: Vehicle Editions. 1987. took two years before beginning to photograph the city, using both a view camera and a hand-held Leica. He began to make 16-mm films in 1937, and studied Patricia Sins Frederick painting after wartime military service. A BOOKKEEPING SERVICES member of the Photo League, for 25 2472 Bolsover • Suite 385 years Burckhardt made his living 522-1529