Reference Point

Уж не знаю, приоткрою ли я завесу для кого-либо, но сейчас я запишу о Роттердамском офисе ома. Из цифр — около 200 сотрудников, 3 этажа (+мезанин и макетная мастерская), своя столовая и кухня, бла бла бла.
О том, что такое для Колхаса Роттердам, можно прочитать в эссе "The Terrifying Beauty of the Twentieth Century" в разделе S всем известной S,M,L,XL.
С архитектурной точки зрения, здание, да и сам интерьер, максимально безлики. Вот что Рэм говорит в интервью для немецкого журнала Spiegel о доме на Heer Bokelweg:

Koolhaas: That could have something to do with the fact that this is a very ambitious building. Look, we -- that is, my firm and I -- work in a completely non-descript building in Rotterdam. It couldn't be plainer. It's from the 1960s, and it's an open room with a nice view. We are almost ecstatically happy. Why? We can do anything there. We can imprint our personality onto the building. In an ambitious building like yours, it might be the other way around.
<...>
Koolhaas: But it's true. Our building in Rotterdam has less character than yours. In fact, it has zero character. It can be wonderful when a building has character, but it can also be an obstacle. It can limit you. I have mixed feelings about this.

Собственно, он всё сказал, ни убавить, ни прибавить. Очевидно, что вся сила ома — в проектах и в людях, делающих их днями и ночами. Должна признать, им для этого созданы все условия.

Rem Koolhaas in El Croquis 131/132

back to R'dam

я вернулась из Будапешта, где все 5 дней меня не покидало ощущение дежавю. Но об этом не будем.
Я переезжаю в новую комнату завтра окончательно, и впереди меня ждёт самый необычный новый год — я буду встречать его одна в не очень-то знакомом городе, да и наверняка с проливным дождём. Наверное, я просто лягу спать.

очень хочется снега

SPIEGEL: Is it true that only 5 percent of your designs are actually built?
Koolhaas: Yes.
SPIEGEL: That must be frustrating.

Koolhaas: That’s our dirty secret. We architects are celebrated as heroes — but humiliation is part of our daily lives. The biggest part of our work for competitions and bid invitations disappears automatically. No other profession would accept such conditions. But you can’t look at these designs as waste. They’re ideas; they will survive in books.

<…>

SPIEGEL: Do you or don’t you like our building?
Koolhaas: You’ll get used to it. But I believe you have to conquer the lobby. Buy two rugs, sew the two rugs together, then buy a third one and declare the lobby occupied. Occupy SPIEGEL!
SPIEGEL: Mr. Koolhaas, thank you for this interview.


Сейчас станет посвободнее, я вооружусь камерой и напишу развернутый пост про студию с картинками. А после отправлюсь на несколько дней в Будапешт.


Meanwhile in Rotterdam

The first word from abroad

So what. I'm here for a week almost. And because of home news it's so damn hard to concentrate on this life. But so many things were changed and even more are about to be. Thank god today everything passed well and I start my work on monday.
Meantime, after small protest again election fraud in Russia we walked to the seashore in The Hague. Just as I dreamt about. The next goal is Wadden sea and isles.
And some photos from today. Shame on me, I almost didn't make any shots those days and looked alike a sucked lemon. I think for a while this is my last note in english, I go on with my mother tongue. And from now it's gonna be alright.

From this moment I have merely three weeks to conclude and finish everything, it gladdens and the same time scares. The very first issues are to repair my laptop and analog camera, and then a very tough selection of what goes to The Netherlands and what won't.
Besides I watch old soviet movies from 60s and 70s, listen to Kino, Motorama (yes again), Ytro and Trud a lot, and explore the northern russian regions in google maps.
The favourite of the day (close to the russian-norwegian border):

The Sense of Snow

I tried to find the art I'd like to tell you now, or may be some pieces of architecture, but in vain.
I got my visa and lot of work.
But Jesus, why am I so smitten now?..

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
By Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of the easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

I give blood to jump now into a fluffy snowhill, ooh

between the Slavic and Nordic world

This weekend was so damn wonderful, but today was the best. My Moscow friend Zhora and I were in Vyborg (which one can also name Viipuri in finnish, Viborg in swedish and Wiborg in german) — small town situated on the Karelian Isthmus and just 38 km to from Russia's border with Finland. And that's a real aesthetic of decay (what I should point all things here pertain more or less to this aesthetic), noble crouan, Monrepos (english landscape woodpark with french name) — delightful mixture of toponyms, actual poverty, cultural richness and elusive beauty.
We were to clean up our minds so explored the park most of the time. And it worked.
A lot of moss, national romanticism, Zhora and even me are below.

Exodus

As far as I have to bring back the S, M, L, XL to its owner (honestly, it pisses me off, how insistently she askes me for it, although the book was drowned in a dust before I took it), I decided to fix some info and pages scan here. The book is a hyper-density of information, I'm obsessed with the layout idea (done by Bruce Mau) and it's impossible to digitalize the whole one, so I'm concentrated on Exodus then.

 

Kronstadt, little town located on Kotlin island, we went to couple of weeks ago. German name, Baltic Sea, splendid views, dramatic and live (mostly cloudy) sky, so on. I adore pier cranes. 

I found a perfect german word for my current lifestyle — unterwegs — «entkommen und selbstbestimmt leben».  So aptly.

Can't wait for start to count down the days. And no art or something today.

This night, between October 16 and 17, The Rhizome was born. We four are now Rhizome group. Great hopes and expectations, oh Gods, bless us.

while away the time

The most terrible insomnia I've ever had, mixed with apprehensions. Then sleep the day away. Holy fuck. I give myself one and a half month to recuperate and bring back to normal daily cycles.

Konstantin Melnikov's private house in Moscow, 1927-1929.

I visited this masterpiece last summer together with german students and made acquaintance with his family — granddaugther, her husband and great-granddaugther. We were kindly asked not to photograph, because, as Ekaterina said, none of photos can express the atmosphere and the spirit of the house. and I held on till the end, but then gave up (human-being, shame on me), opened my camera glass and did a random shot.

Perhaps it's too overproud, but seems I did it. At least my own perception.

Nordzee

Despite I'm still waiting for the call from dutch consulate concerning my mvv visa process (just!!!) starting, I can't stop thinking about Nord Sea. What makes it especially desirable is fact that we'll see each other in winter and early spring. Umm, I already see myself at empty shore somewhere in The Hague.

image credit snoeziesterre flickr

Meantime, I get deeper and deeper to OMA projects and fascinated with them as I never could expect before. Hard to express how am I excited about that. That's how Rem makes his voluntary prisoners of architecture. Great deal, should say. Note for myself: use your dictionaries you dumb, improve the lexis!

Dutch Parliament Extension, The Hague, 1978 [13th century]; OMA’s first preservation project.
Watercolor by Madelon Vriesendorp.

Was it just a soap blob

For many reasons I'd better write in my own, but let's treat it as an exercise before my time belts leap.
Instead of preparing my diploma content for annual review competition I rake up some memories and hesitate. Will it be a step ahead or backward. Ooh.

The favourites of last week are blobes and spheres of Tomás Saraceno. I got an opportunity to see them alive at Hamburger Bahnhof — and even more, to squeeze and enter one, and the feelings I had that moment were as light, clean and plain as they are. I don't write recensions (you better have a look here or there ), so let this be my expression.

friend of mine Liliya enjoying the surroundings

lovely clew

lovely moss

and some web photos.
.

one two one two

I knew it will happen so it's happened now. As far as I move to another country (well for definite period but anyway) I move to another digital inland empire. Damn, I got  so addicted to changes.

In a process of migrating Heinrich Heine‘s identity desintegrates in 5 steps:
«Here in France immediately on my arrival in Paris my German name "Heinrich" was translated into "Henri", and I had to adapt myself to it and had even so to style myself here in this country, for the word Heinrich is not pleasing to the Frenchman and the French do make everything in the world pleasant for themselves. Even the name "Henri Heine" they were unable to pronounce, and most of them called me Monsieur Enri Enn : Many contracted this to Enrienne and some called me Monsieur Un Rien.»
Heinrich Heine´s statement about losing his name and identity when moving to Paris is inscribed in the entrance halls of the station U9 Westhafen like a leitmotiv, or an ouverture: the loss of name, personality, then the loss of personal and human rights, and finally the loss of life and commemoration - annihilation.

 

The Human rights are seen through Heine‘s point of view. The texts use typographical styles which were rejected by the Nazis. The colors of the very large shapes and forms are Bauhaus‘ ones. Quotes of murdered people are written by hand on the walls. This art work was done by Inscire organisation, they care of human rights or something. Whatever they meant by it, these graphics and tiles just fascinate me.

Image credits essamo  and reiner asscherman flickrs