Program-less Archiecture

CURTAIN
Jerome H. Haferd
Brandt Knapp

I couldn't wait for the opening and I had to make a trip to Costco, which is adjacent to the Socrates Sculpture Park, where "Curtain" is being constructed.  The Architectural League and Socrates Sculpture Park invited emerging artists and designers to speculate on contemporary interpretations of the folly.  Curtain is the winning entry by architects, Jerome H. Haferd and Brandt Knapp.

Constructed of 4" x 4" wood beams, steel joints that connect the frame and white plastic chain that is draped over the frame, Haferd and Knapp have played with the idea of folly.  I associate follies with garden structures on large estates... extravagant, useless, whimsical.  In an interview with Gregory Wessner, Knapp had this to say:  "We were really excited about the project prompt (for a folly).  That's what got us going.  We both have an interest in program-less architecture:  architecture that has little or no function or purpose. "

"I think that I'm interested in anything or anyone that poses questions that get me thinking on a level that art is supposed to, but I think that the difference between many artists and many architects is blurred.  It's really just that our disciplines set us apart."  Knapp

And I think everyone should venture out to this part of the world (Astoria) and take a look.  If you wondering about the differences between art and architecture, wander over to the  Noguchi Museum, it's across the street.

An Act of Sheer FOLLY

CALL for PROPOSALS A project organized by Socrates Sculpture Park
and the Architectural League.

DESCRIPTIONSocrates Sculpture Park and the Architectural League invite emerging architects and designers to apply for the opportunity to build and exhibit a full-scale project around the theme of an architectural Folly.  The residency was established to explore the interaction between architecture and sculpture and the increasing overlaps in references, materials, and building techniques between the two disciplines.
Socrates and the League welcome proposals for full-scale projects and installations that explore contemporary interpretations of the architectural folly. 
By definition a fanciful architectural form, built to lend interest to a view or serve as a conversation piece, the folly is an ideal launching point for a dynamic exploration of architectural form and its relationship to sculpture.
The recipient will receive a $5,000 production grant towards realizing the proposed project.  The recipient will also have full access to the studio space and fabrication resources of Socrates Sculpture Park from May 2012 to July 2012.


www.archleague.org