UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design lecturer, Wonne Ickx, along with art critic Ruth Estévez, have curated “Spaces without drama or surface is an illusion, but so is depth,” an exhibition on view at the Graham Foundation in Chicago through July 1, that examines the recent proliferation of collage in architectural representation in relation to scenography and theatrical set design.
Based on historical references such as 19th-century toy theaters, “Spaces without drama” invites contemporary architects to rethink the ways in which architecture is created in relationship to theatricality and how it oscillates between reality and scenography to answer questions about space, depth, context, façade and representation.
“Spaces without drama,” featuring work by architects, artists and dramaturgists, investigates the similarities between theatrical stage sets and architectural scale models, highlighting the ways that each constructed landscape prompts the personal drama of speculation and the creation of fictions.
Developed in part by Ickx in 2006, the Mexico City-based architecture studio Productora emphasizes precise geometries, an eagerness to generate readable projects with clear gestures, and the search for timeless buildings in their material and programmatic resolutions. Encouraging the globalized exchange of architectural practices, Ickx’s studio collaborates frequently with national and international artists and curators.
