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Schopfer_2022_Xenakis_AAM.pdf
Conference paper (in proceedings)

Making Mankind resonate through Time : the Xenakis' undulating glass panes

  • Schopfer, Mathias Accademia di architettura, Università della Svizzera italiana, Svizzera
  • Stump, Emmanuel Department of Architecture, Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
  • 2022

1

Published in:
  • Proceedings of the Xenakis 22: Centenary International Symposium. - 2022
English In the twentieth century, favourable circumstances gave rise to a variety of junctions between arts and sciences. Einstein's theory of relativity introduced the temporal dimension of space, which had previously been considered uniform and static, and opened up new possibilities for arts to express themselves. Iannis Xenakis broke through the established boundaries and linked Music and Architecture in his work. What interpretation can we make of the experimentation of this collision between these two seemingly distant disciplines? How can the element of the undulating glass panes be interpreted in relation to these movements? Our reflection began in 2019 with a survey of Iannis Xenakis' undulatory panes carried out at the Couvent de la Tourette as part of Prof. Franz Graf's project workshop at the EPFL. One thing leading to another, we experienced a fascinating relationship between music and architecture in the form of dilation, compression or acceleration of the space felt thanks to the frequency of the concrete posts, throughout our wandering. As we walked through this device, we became the cursors reading the music frozen in the undulating panes at each passage and we were then transformed into both actors and instruments of this music. The end result of this first work was concretely to set the crystallised notes of the undulating sections to music in a piano score and to play it in public. A clear link with the musical composition work of Iannis Xenakis can be felt, particularly through the notions of glissandi and sound continuity. Could it be that the link between Music and Architecture is deeper than a simple tribute? The concept of the undulating glass panes can be found in one of the greatest monuments of Ancient Greece: the Acropolis of Athens. The optical effect sought, called the parallax effect, makes the interstitial space behind the architectural elements exalt. The colonnade used in the Parthenon appears to vibrate as the visitor moves around it. Its peristyle acts as a filter between two different temporalities: one natural and the other eternal. The grooves take on a mystical quality, vibrating as the walker go through them, with the same force as the undulating glass panes. The undulating glass pane then also becomes a threshold between the profane and the sacred, unfolding around the sacred space of the church of La Tourette. Its presence gives rhythm to the temporality of its inhabitants and ritualises their different tasks throughout their day and their life. The architectural element accompanies the individual, collective and spiritual life of the convent. Bringing the proud ancient caryatids into the modern age, the undulating glass pane then architects the human figure through the Modulor, making it resonate in the light of a new age. Let us take the measure of this architectural element by considering its origins and its power through what it evokes: music, space time and the human being.
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Language
  • English
Classification
Architecture
Notes
  • Centenary International Symposium XENAKIS 22
  • Athens & Nafplio
  • May 24-29 2022
License
Rights reserved
Open access status
green
Identifiers
  • RICERCO 67812
  • ARK ark:/12658/srd1335615
Persistent URL
https://n2t.net/ark:/12658/srd1335615
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