The spatial drawing consisting of steel wire mesh forms “a space in space” and examines basic architectural relations like full and empty, mass and volume, defined and undefined, inhabitable and perceptive... The wire mesh shows that space can be thought through the gradation of its density and also shows that space does not have to be an abstract notion and void delineated by solid borders. In the case of the pavilion-boat, spatial density is literally represented as an optically impressive structure that encourages reflection on different phenomena, which fill the space and make it a concrete medium. That is to say that this space is full of different forms of density: density of light, density of warmth, density of airflow, and density of events, which is diagrammatically shown by the wire mesh of the pavilion-boat.
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In the sense of dimension and weight, the pavilion-boat is dependent on the barge that carries it; this also refers to the nomadic presence of Croatia at the Venice Biennale. The mobility of the barge also enables the pavilion to travel and create different interrelations between its physical appearance and different environments, so that the possibility of movement is a creative contribution to its spatial concept. However, the spatial concept is independent both from floating and direct function, although they have influenced the development of the project. Its travelling capability and the spatial concept of the pavilion can be interpreted independently.
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Spatial discovery is more important than opulence and literal presence. The pavilion-boat is designed and executed as an experiment on a limited budget; an extraordinary effect has been achieved with elementary means and untypical construction procedures. The decision to take the risk of voyage includes a utopian component that defies limitations. Moreover, the unfinished utopia is close to Croatian building tradition, where many projects have remained only partly realized or incomplete, where even the best concepts have not been finished. Still, from these projects we have inherited their completeness, not only their realized part.
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There is, however, architecture that is not utilitarian in the narrower sense of the word; it does not have a primary task to solve existential issues, but it belongs to the field of architectural experiment, which is an integral part of architectural discipline and history of architecture. The pavilion-barge belongs to that kind of architecture. The barge and its spatial concept are not a product of some specific ideology, but vice-versa: ideology “sticks” to the barge in the process of its different interpretations. If we approach it from the position where building is exclusively a materialized diagram of power, the barge becomes a symbolic representation of a discipline which is nothing more than serving an ideology; this “original sin” of architecture can in no way be redeemed. From a juxtaposed position, which allows architecture’s autonomy, the barge is interpreted as a continuation of utopian tradition of experimental architecture that includes collapses as well; they are an integral part of conceptual research recorded in all architectural epochs and typologies.
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The barge project is in its experimental and utopian nature opposed to the conformist matrix of Croatian culture. The concept of the pavilion-barge is a continuation of the “secondary line” of neo-avantgardistic modern architecture (parallel to the one in plastic arts), which showed a critical attitude towards instrumentalization of architecture. If we take into account that architecture is always in a dialectic relation towards the systems of power, one of the ways how it can contribute to the benefit of the entire society is the striving at maintaining the experimental, “internal” autonomy of the discipline. Thanks to the activity of this “secondary line”, Croatian modern and contemporary architecture managed to build a number of culturally relevant and harmonious environments.
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The architecture of the pavilion is not that of a shelter or a dwelling place; it is also not obliged to problematize anything outside the medium of architecture, while the realization of a spatial experiment has its price that pays only in the long run, when its experiences are built into future concepts. The pavilion-barge is designed so that it can and should be realized; it does not explore (only) an abstract concept, but also perceptive traits of architecture. This kind of spatial concept cannot be tested only through models and three-dimensional visualizations, in a phantom, “virtual world” that abolishes the physical encounter of people with other people and material space. Justin McGuirk, a Guardian critic, concludes his text on the Biennale by an assertion that speaks in favour of the pavilion-barge concept: “The beauty of this year’s Biennale is that human experience makes its comeback into the focus of architectural interest. Inspiring places are filled with spatial and sensory drama.”
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What is it that architecture gives to society: does it have the task to satisfy just the elementary needs or does it, as part of civilizational changes, offer new and different experiences and models of space, which make the history of architecture a dynamic development process and the city a layered place, where different spatial concepts are deposited like sediments and where historic time can be read. That is why it is necessary to take a chance, explore and test new spatial concepts in untypical circumstances like world exhibitions. There are priorities in thinking and criticising the process of building, but we must understand that the quality of built environment, among other things, is raised by continuous cultivation of experiments that at first glance seem to have no direct connection with social reality. However, new spatial concepts maintain the good shape of architectural discipline, its creative tension and constant movement. The lower the level of authentic experimental architectural thinking in an environment, the greater cultural and existential poverty that spreads in built environment. The enhancement of social sensitivity within the architectural discipline is absolutely necessary, which also means raising the social awareness of architects, but this invitation should be addressed to them in the form of the encouragement to cultivate, cherish, and of course, critically examine experimental ambitions.
Maroje Mrduljaš
Prostorni crtež sačinjen od metalnih rešetki formira „prostor u prostoru“ i preispituje temeljne arhitektonske odnose poput punog i praznog, mase i volumena, definiranog i neodređenog, naseljivog i perceptivnog... Čelična rešetka pokazuje da se o prostoru može razmišljati kroz gradacije njegove gustoće, te da prostor ne mora biti apstraktni pojam i praznina omeđena čvrstim granicama. U slučaju paviljona-broda prostorna gustoća je doslovno reprezentirana kao optički upečatljiva fizička struktura koja potiče na refleksiju o različitim fenomenima, koji ispunjavaju prostor i čine ga konkretnim medijem. Naime, prostor je ispunjen različitim oblicima gustoće: gustoćom svjetla, gustoćom topline, gustoćom strujanja zraka, gustoćom događaja, što rešetka paviljona-broda dijagramatski prikazuje.
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Paviljon-brod ovisan je o teglenici koja ga nosi u smislu dimenzija i težine, kao što implicira i konotacije poput nomadske prisutnosti Hrvatske na Bijenalu u Veneciji. Također, mobilnost teglenice omogućuje paviljonu da putuje i stvara različite međuodnose između svoje fizičke konstitucije i različitih ambijenata pa je mogućnost kretanja za prostornu zamisao produktivna. No, sama prostorna zamisao neovisna je i od plutanja i od neposredne funkcije, iako su oni utjecali na razvoj projekta. Putovanje i prostorna zamisao paviljona mogu se tumačiti odvojeno.
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Prostorno otkriće važnije je od reprezentativnosti i doslovne prisutnosti. Paviljon-brod projektiran je i izveden kao eksperiment unutar skučenih resursa, postignut je izvanredan učinak elementarnim sredstvima i atipičnim graditeljskim postupcima. Odluka da se uđe u rizik plovidbe u sebi nosi i jednu utopijsku komponentu kojom se prkosi ograničenjima. Uostalom, nedovršena utopija bliska je hrvatskoj graditeljskoj tradiciji gdje su brojni projekti ostajali parcijalno realizirani ili nekompletni, gdje su najbolje zamisli ostajale nedovršene. Pa ipak, od tih projekata baštinimo cjelovitost projekta, ne samo njihov realizirani dio.
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No, postoji i arhitektura koja nije utilitarna u užem smislu, koja nema neposrednu obavezu rješavati egzistencijalna pitanja nego pripada polju arhitektonskog eksperimenta koji je neraskidiv dio arhitektonske discipline i povijesti arhitekture. U takvu arhitekturu spada i paviljon-teglenica. Teglenica i njena prostorna zamisao nisu proizvod neke specifične ideologije, nego se ideologija „kači“ za teglenicu kroz njene interpretacije. Ako se nastupa s pozicije u kojoj je građenje isključivo materijalizirani dijagram moći, teglenica postaje simbolički reprezent discipline koja nije ništa drugo nego servisiranje ideologije i taj „izvorni grijeh“ arhitekture se nikako ne može iskupiti. Sa suprotne pozicije u kojoj se arhitekturi dozvoljava autonomija, teglenica se interpretira kao nastavak utopijske tradicije eksperimentalne arhitekture koja uključuje i kolapse, koji su integralni dio konceptualnih istraživanja zabilježenih u svim arhitektonskim epohama i u svim tipologijama.
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Projekt teglenice je po svojoj eksperimentalnoj i utopijskoj naravi suprotan konformističkoj matici hrvatske kulture. Koncepcija paviljona-teglenice nadovezuje se na „drugu liniju“ neo-avangardističke moderne arhitekture (paralelne onoj plastičkih umjetnosti) koja se kritički odnosila prema instrumentalizaciji arhitekture. S obzirom da je arhitektura uvijek u dijalektičkom odnosu prema sustavima moći, jedan od načina da ona doprinese društvenom boljitku upravo i jest nastojanje da se održi eksperimentalna, „interna“ autonomija discipline. Zahvaljujući djelovanju te „druge linije“, hrvatska moderna i suvremena arhitektura uspjela je izgraditi pojedine kulturno relevantne i skladne okoliše.
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Arhitektura paviljona nije zaklonište i obitavalište, nema niti obavezu da bilo što problematizira izvan samog medija arhitekture, a realizacija prostornog eksperimenta ima svoju cijenu koja se dugoročno isplaćuje time što se njegova iskustva ugrađuju i u buduće koncepcije. Paviljon-teglenica projektiran je tako da se može i treba realizirati, ne istražuje (samo) apstraktni koncept nego perceptivna svojstva arhitekture. Takva prostorna zamisao ne može se testirati samo maketama i trodimenzionalnim prikazima, u fantomskom „virtualnom svijetu“ koji dokida fizički susret ljudi s ljudima i ljudi s materijalnim prostorom. Justin McGuirk, kritičar Guardiana, zaključuje svoj tekst o Bijenalu stavom koji upravo i ide u prilog koncepciji paviljona-teglenice: „Ljepota ovogodišnjeg Bijenala je to što ljudsko iskustvo vraća u središte arhitektonskog zanimanja. Inspirativna mjesta ispunjena su prostornom i osjetilnom dramom.“
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Što je to što arhitektura daje društvu: ima li ona zadaću da zadovoljava samo elementarne potrebe ili, kao dio civilizacijskih mijena, nudi iskustva i modele prostora koji su novi, drugačiji, koji od povijesti arhitekture čine jedan razvojni dinamični proces, a grad mjestom koje je slojevito, u kojem se talože različite prostorne zamisli i u kojem se čita povijesno vrijeme. Zato je i potrebno iskoristiti priliku da se i atipičnim okolnostima kao što su svjetske izložbe istraže i testiraju nove prostorne zamisli.
Postoje prioriteti u promišljanju i kritici građenja, ali treba shvatiti da se kvaliteta izgrađenog okoliša podiže i kontinuiranim kultiviranjem eksperimenta za koji se na prvi pogled čini da nema neposredne veze s društvenom stvarnošću. No, novi prostorni koncepti održavaju arhitektonsku disciplinu u kondiciji, u kreativnoj tenziji i kontinuiranom kretanju. Što je razina autentične eksperimentalne arhitektonske misli u nekoj sredini niža, to je kulturna i egzistencijalna bijeda koja se širi u izgrađenom okolišu veća. Povećanje društvene i socijalne osjetljivosti unutar arhitektonske discipline jest apsolutno potrebno, što znači i podizanje građanske svijesti arhitekata, ali taj poziv treba biti upućen kroz ohrabrenje da se kultiviraju, njeguju te, naravno, kritički preispituju eksperimentalne ambicije.
Maroje Mrduljaš
Client: Republic of Croatia, Ministry of Culture
Gross surface area: 17 700 x 8400 x 5375 mm, 800 m3
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