Culture

In an era when renderings, magazines, blogs and even architecture websites tend to focus on the final design with little to no mention of process, the Renzo Piano exhibit at the Gagosian Gallery is a breath of fresh air. The exhibition, entitled Fragments, showcases 30 years of architectural projects and provides a glimpse into Piano's methodical and painstaking design process. For most architects, higher education was not just about the final design but the rigorous design concept processes that ultimately developed into a three dimensional project. Unfortunately, this emphasis on process does not seem to readily translate in the real world of clients and deadlines.

photograph c/o Pascale Sablan

However, in this exhibition, the process was the final design. I was privileged to see the meticulous phases of each project displayed, through drawings, concept sketches, and models, contemplating the ways in which his work developed and refined over a 30 year span.

photograph c/o Pascale Sablan

The exhibition is a series of 24 tables, each dedicated to a particular project. Each table is equipped with drawings, study models, photos, physical details, books, and an iPad loaded with animations and presentations. In addition, the tables are full of anecdotes and stories about each project, in many cases shedding new light and a fresh perspective on some of his more familiar projects.

Renzo Piano and Meryl Streep, photograph c/o Christina Galati

Fragments closes this Friday, August 2nd, so don't miss this rare opportunity to experience a unique exhibition that communicates specifically to architects, in our many languages.

photograph c/o Pascale Sablan