Valentin Bearth
We loved the scale of this tiny exhibit located in the big heroic space of the Corderie. It raises the question of presence, intimacy and discovery in architecture. The duality of the structure is also intriguing. The world of the professor and the work of Bearth & Deplazes in one half of the little box, the world of the student in the other. Bearth describes the two parts as practice (Amurs) and teaching (Microcosmi). What is also intriguing, is that the work of the professor, Microcosmi, exhibited in this tiny space, is heroic and muscular, strong enough to survive the big landscape and the harsh climate of the Swiss mountains. The work of the students is a continuing exploration of ways of living, forms of habitation and the microcosm of intimate everyday life for which architecture is the framework. This exhibit celebrates both the separate and the interactive worlds of teacher and student. While connections are not obvious in terms of the work produced, what the visitor enjoys are the different energies of both. The shared qualities are more to do with curiosity, rigour, construction, materiality, space-making and synthesising. A ‘small cabin’ full of rich treasures to be discovered.
YF+SMcN