TOWARDS A DRAPED ARCHITECTURE

The motif of drapery considered both literally and in its metaphorical dimensions opens topical questions that are pertinent to the current architectural practice. This book examines the notion of drapery as a metaphor for the billowing surfaces of contemporary architecture emphasizing: its theatrical and festive character; its simultaneous attempt to create ambiguity and curiosity; and its relationship to concepts like autonomy, opacity, and permanency. Finally, it examines how drapery becomes an important means of displaying and celebrating technological virtuosity. In order to demonstrate the different instances of its paradoxical representations, each chapter ends with a critical assessment of a recent building by Frank Gehry who could be seen as the best representative for draped architecture. The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College in New York, the Experience Music Project in Seattle, and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago, all coincide in their theatrical, ambiguous, and virtuosic qualities.