Masonry Variations
October 18, 2003 - April 4, 2004
Masonry has a long history as a building medium, and in one form or another it is represented in the architecture of almost every culture in the world. Architects and craftworkers are interested in more than the histories of their materials, however; they are also interested in the future of materials, in new techniques, new applications, and new expressions. Architecture is always stretched in two directions. It is pulled toward its past and the reassurance of precedent, typology, and the tried and true; but it is also pulled by technology, societal and cultural change, and human ingenuity and desire into that great unknown — the future. Some of the greatest masonry structures in history and many of the tools used to construct them are shown in this exhibition to illustrate that every great building is the manifestation of architects and builders reckoning with these challenges. The exhibition then opens the door to the future, leaving room for more variations on a 5,000-year-old profession.
“Architecture,” as Mies van der Rohe has observed, may be “the will of an epoch translated into space," but it is also the will of an epoch translated into material. When that material is in the family of masonry, then the translation involves questions about constantly changing technologies, the relationship between architect and craftworker, and an ongoing dialogue between tradition and innovation. Each of the four galleries in Masonry Variations contains an installation that expands upon those questions through the exploration of a particular type of masonry. Like a piece of music, these installations are variations on the themes of material, technologies, and collaboration. And, ultimately, the means and the ends were negotiated through the back and forth of the collaborative process, the “know-how” of the craftworkers conversing with the “know-what” of the architects. Four teams of architects and craftworkers from the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC) were invited to stretch their imaginations and push the limits of their materials in full-size constructions of stone, brick, terrazzo, and blocks made of autoclaved aerated concrete, known as AAC.
Stone
Jeanne Gang, AIA, and Matthew Stokes Redabaugh, took on stone, traditionally the very symbol of weight and solidity. The challenge they assumed was to take this material, which is perfectly comfortable when stacked one piece upon another in compression, and instead to hang one piece from another, putting it in tension. Turning traditional construction and expectations upside down, Gang and Redabaugh shaved their stone into lighter and thinner pieces until it could be suspended like an elegantly draped curtain. Jeanne Gang, AIA is a principal of Studio Gang Architects in Chicago, identified as one of nine emerging firms to watch by Architectural Record.
Matthew Stokes Redabaugh, BAC - Stone Mason, Marble Mason, a special projects coordinator for the International Masonry Institute (IMI), is a self-taught stone carver.
Brick
Carlos Jiménez and J. Keith Behrens explored the possibilities of brick to see if this most familiar material can be made unfamiliar by freeing it, if only temporarily, from the bounds of gravity and stability. With the addition of a steel armature, Jiménez and Behrens realized that the bricks could become porous and perforated, expressing their thickness instead of just serving as a veneer on a wall.
Terrazzo/Tile
Julie Eizenberg and Mike Menegazzi challenged the traditional techniques of terrazzo, a hybrid of liquid and solid materials. Terrazzo was an early example of a product made partially from recycled material; in ancient Rome, waste marble chips were imbedded in cement and then polished to create various textures. Maintaining that idea, Eizenberg and Menegazzi balanced traditional technique with a non-conventional result.
AAC/Block
Winka Dubbeldam and Robert Mion Jr. stretched the capabilities of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC), the youngest masonry material represented in the exhibition. Developed in the early 20th century, AAC is much lighter than ordinary concrete block and its unique acoustic properties became the conceptual generator for this installation. Dubbeldam and Mion have used this unique material to create an entirely new sensory environment.Winka Dubbeldam is a principal of Archi-Tectonics in New York City, a design firm with a commitment to research and experimentation. Robert Mion Jr., BAC - Terrazzo Worker, Tile Layer, Cement Mason, is a regional training director for IMI and has broad expertise across the allied crafts of terrazzo, tile, plaster, and cement finishing.
Sponsors
Masonry Variations is made possible by the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC) and the International Masonry Institute (IMI).
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Sponsors & Partners
Credits
Guest Curator: Stanley Tigerman, FAIA, Tigerman McCurry Architects
Project Coordinator: Maria Viteri, AIA, International Masonry Institute
Engineer of Record: Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers
Chief Curator: Howard Decker, FAIA
Curatorial Associate: Matt Kuhnert
Curatorial Assistant: Reed Haslach
Curatorial Consultant: Susan Piedmont-Palladino
Director of Exhibitions: Catherine Crane Frankel
Exhibition Graphics: Alicia Cheng, mgmt.
Exhibition Design: Elizabeth Kaleida
Exhibition Graphic Designer: Nancy van Meter
Exhibitions Coordinator: Hank Griffith
Exhibitions Preparator: Christopher Maclay
Collections Manager: Dana Twersky
Registrars: Cecelia Gibson, Shelagh Cole
