VIRTUAL Lisbon Livable Cities

Abstract

Artists and architects have been in relationship in various periods of art history. Although this relationship has sometimes led to tense situations, artists and architects have, in essence, formed a productive alliance within these fields. Architects’ desire to collaborate with artists often stems from an interest in the artists’ ideas, thought processes, and philosophies, rather than their ability to produce two- or three-dimensional works. It can be said that German architect Mies van der Rohe and American architect Richard Meier were kind to work with artists such as Alexander Calder and Frank Stella in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, architects and artists collaborate on equal terms, creating buildings and curating exhibitions. In short, contemporary collaborations between artists and architects generally begin from the first stage of the project. However, there are also several critiques of this dynamic. For example, art critic and Time Out London’s visual art editor Ossian Ward writes in his article “Space Explosion”, on Hal Foster’s compilation Art-Architecture Complex that art and architecture are engaged in a “war of sublimity” today (Ward, 2012). As a result, the debate between the formal structure of architecture and the anarchic nature of art provides an opportunity for both mutual conflict and discovery. It can be said that the collaborative work of the artists and the architects produces efficient results if they can use each other’s language and collide with each other’s ideas. Shaped by these considerations, this study explores contemporary hybrid spaces that exist between art and architecture.