ISSUE 107 – INTERIORS ESCALATIONS

Overview

For some years now, conventional definitions and delimitations of every kind of the design disciplines have been weakened - with varied results. The abusive recourse to the use of ‘-scape’ has probably contributed to the lack of clarity and has produced pointless and shallow results, while - on the other hand - the emphasis on the ‘urban’ has prompted the detachment of architecture from consumption.

So, after these wanderings on the fringes, it would seem desirable to bring architecture back to a ‘common ground’, which David Chipper- field, in his recent statement for this year’s Venice Biennale, described as 'a vital, interconnected architectural culture, [that] pose[s] questions about the intellectual and physical territories that it shares.’ And he insisted that ‘architecture is internally connected, intellectually and practically, sharing common concerns, influences and intentions.’

The architecture of interiors is an old and well-established branch of design. It presupposes conventionally, to begin with, an exterior, a shell which will receive it and will surround it. This exterior pre-exists and continues to exist after the installation of the architecture of the interior within it. On the outside, it remains unaltered, with no, or only a few, indications to suggest the possibility of its interior transformation.

Please find the complete text in the print edition.