Christ & Gantenbein: The Last Act of Design
The Japan Swiss Architectural Association (JSAA) and the Embassy of Switzerland in Japan presented the exhibition «The Last Act of Design» by Swiss architects Christ & Gantenbein from March 20 to April 21, 2019 at Hillside Forum in Tokyo and at the Kyoto Institute of Technology. The exhibition presented a selection of photographs of Christ & Gantenbein’s projects by Italian photographer Stefano Graziani, prints of architectural drawings especially re-edited for the occasion, and 3D-printed models showcasing 9 unrealized designs since 2007.
While providing a deep insight into Christ & Gantenbein's work, the exhibition also investigated the very tools available to communicate architecture, such as drawings, architecture models and photography. Suggesting a «last act of design», the documents presented reflected on the way in which, once the design process is over, architecture can still be re-crafted by means of its manifold representation. The exhibition constituted the first endeavour of Christ & Gantenbein in Japan, and the first achievement of the Japan Swiss Architecture Association, founded in 2018. The exhibition attracted more than 2,500 people.
On this opportunity, Emanuel Christ and Christoph Gantenbein gave a series of lectures; in addition to the two lectures about the exhibition “The Last Act of Design” in Tokyo (350 seats) and Kyoto (150 seats), a special lecture about the Swiss legacy of Le Corbusier was held at the auditorium of the National Museum of Western Art (130 seats) on March 17th, as a side event to the exhibition “Le Corbusier and the Age of Purism”. All venues were filled by an enthusiastic audience.