lundi 13 septembre 2010

# The Oblique Function by Claude Parent and Paul Virilio

Sometimes I like to revisit the classics ! The Oblique Function was first developed in the 60's by Architecture Principe (Claude Parent & Paul Virilio) and since then is still the main element of Parent's architecture (see previous article).
The idea was to tilt the ground in order to revolutionize the old paradigm of the vertical wall. In fact, being inclined, the wall becomes experiencable and so are the cities imagined by the two French architects. The oblique is fundamentally interested in how a body physically experience a space. The slope implies an effort to climb up and a speed to climb down; this way the body cannot abstract itself from the space and feel the degrees of inclination.
Parent and Virilio associated this research with their bunker archeology (see previous article) in order to design the Church Sainte Bernadette in Nevers (France) that I should probably include in a near future article...
Claude Parent demonstrated the quality of the oblique for the French Pavilion at the 1970 Venice Biennale as I already wrote in a former article.










2 comments:

Xavier a dit…

This different perception of space induced by the inclined walls is exactly what I first felt when exploring the Rolex Learning Center by Kazuyo Sejima et Ryue Nishizawa.

In the RLC the walls are not inclined but the ground is, challenging the perception of space and stories. This is an interesting building to experience.

Léopold Lambert a dit…

Thanks for sharing.
Actually in Japan, the influence probably comes from Arakawa and Gins(http://www.reversibledestiny.org/Reversible_Destiny_-_Arakawa_and_Gins_-_We_Have_Decidede_Not_to_Die/About_Biotopology.html)
I guess I'll write an article about them pretty soon.