Environment : Approaches for Tomorrow
by Bonnie Alter, London on 02.19.07
The Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal, Quebec,has an extensive collection of architectural prints, drawings, photographs and archives as well as a changing exhibition schedule. The current show, Environment: Approaches for Tomorrow features the work of French landscape architect Gilles Clement and Swiss architect Philippe Rahm. Clement is concerned with the natural landscape and Rahm with artificial environments.
Clement is fascinated with neglected spaces in the modern city and how nature takes over, with limited human intervention. On display are photos of his existing body of work—a natural park in Lille, France, that incorporates a cliff made out of garbage with native plants seeding themselves across it. He also has photographed a field in his hometown over a series of years. The changes in vegetation become obvious as the wild flowers spread and multiply--the field now has 50 species. The spectacular display is the chandelier (pictured) which is made of a mixture of rubbish and plants gathered on a vacant site near the museum. He found a surprising diversity of plants growing there as well as a full range of human garbage from cell phones and pens to hypodermic needles and packaging. Preserved in acrylic, these items are suspended from the ceiling in a cluster. Rahm’s work is more theoretical. One of two galleries is an enclosed, brightly lit, white anonymous space where temperature, humidity, and light conditions are measured by sensors placed at regular intervals. The data is interpreted through images and narration in the adjacent gallery. :: Canadian Centre for Architecture
