Thursday Salute to Originals: Shattered Reflections
Last week in our Thursday blog we explored how the human body can dissolve into nature. This week we take that same concept into the realm of architecture, discussing how the barrier between built form and nature can be eradicated. Today’s project proves that with a simple intervention, architecture is nature, and at the same time, nature is architecture.
The Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse is a century old lighthouse situated on the coast of Denmark. It was recently the site for an architectural installation by Bessards’ Studio and JAJA Architects. The kaleidoscope was designed as the central anchor for the staircase that visitors ascend to reach the top of the lighthouse. It reflects and refracts glimpses of the seascape surroundings, the views constantly moving as the wind spins the kaleidoscope. This video captures the experience, depicting the graceful and lonely landscape that serves as the building site:
Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse Revitalized from JAJA on Vimeo
There is a distinct opposition between the mass of the lighthouse walls and the weightless immateriality of the kaleidoscope which begs for further consideration. After all, can a kaleidoscope (or a mirror) even be considered a form, a material, an object, or a space to be inhabited? Is architecture itself a kaleidoscope of its outside forces?
Source: UR Design