PROFESSOR, ARCHITECT SAFA, HON. FAIA, INT. FRIBA JUHANI PALLASMAA
Juhani Pallasmaa's illustrious career includes e.g. following
positions: Formerly State Artist Professor (1984-89), Director of the Museum
of Finnish Architecture (1978-83), Associate Professor at the Haile Selassie
University, Addis Ababa (1972-74), Director of the Department of Exhibition
at the Museum of Finnish Architecture (1968-72, 1974-83), Rector of the College
of Crafts and Design (70-72), Visiting Professor in several universities abroad
including Yale University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of
Virginia, and the University of Illinois, Champaign.
Juhani Pallasmaa - photographer Arto Liiti - Rovaniemen
city
Professor Pallasmaa has been engaged in the architectural,
product and graphic design and town planning since the beginning of the 1960's
and runs his own architect's office in Helsinki.
Juhani Pallasmaa is also
an editor of several books and has written over 30 books and over 300 essays,
published in over 30 languages. His most important works are: The Embodied
Image: Imagination and Imagery in Architecture (2011), The Thinking
Handbook: Existential and Embodied Wisdom in Architecture (2009), Encounters
- Architectural Essays (2005), The Architecture of Image - Existential
Space in Cinema (2001), The Eyes of the Skin (1996, 2005) and
Animal Architecture (1995).
Architecture
and Time - Dialogues in Material and Time. Relatio Artis -seminar
26.05.2011
Korundi Hall photo©Helsingin Sanomat
Professor Pallasmaa’s speech Architecture and Time -
Dialogues in Material and Time focused on architectural collages and the
holistic view of architecture, according to which architecture is not only a
sum of its parts but a comprehensive experience, that sets the tone for social
encounters and creates an atmosphere.
Collage and montage are frequently
used in contemporary art and movies. Even though architecture is usually perceived
as a designed and implemented work, which is dominated by the designer’s aesthetics,
collage works combining several time layers, themes and details also exist.
According to Pallasmaa architectural collages bring narration to the buildings.
References to the past experience give promise of the future life:
"In
particular, the renovation and reuse of buildings highlight the dialogue between
different time periods and styles. Many modern and contemporary masters of architecture,
such as Carlo Scarpa and Sverre Fehn, have used the collage technique in their
renovation designs. Alvar Aalto also sought to create a layered look by introducing
ruins or other references to antique culture. Villa Mairea and Aalto's Experimental
House Muuratsalo are the most obvious collage works of Aalto. Also, many of
today's hailed architects, such as Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, David Chipperfield
have designed architectural collages."
Korundi main entrance - photo©Helsingin Sanomat
- on the left and in the center is the old bus depot, right-Korundi Hall
Already 18 years ago, when designing the renovation of the Rovaniemi
Art Museum, Professor Pallasmaa had the idea of using architectural collage.
Since then, he has occasionally returned to this technology and designed collage-like
details. Designing the new House of Culture Korundi Pallasmaa deliberately left
many traces of the original essence of the building and its use as a bus
depot.
Katariina Lipsanen
Relatio Artis page
Kalevi Aho
Reija Hirvikoski
Juhani Pallasmaa
Catarina Ryöppy
Jussi Tiainen
Timo Valjakka