German architect Jurgen Mayer H’s eye-catching work is to be celebrated in a dedicated exhibition in Berlin. The show, titled ‘Strukturalien – Architecture as urban sculpture’, opens today at the Haus Am Waldsee art centre.
Founded in the German capital in 1996, Mayer’s firm, J Mayer H Architects, is known for its considerable body of work and the way in which it transcends the boundaries of disciplines through its expressiveness and creative interpretation of a brief. The studio’s portfolio spans from numerous exhibitions and installations, to large-scale urban planning schemes and public buildings.
This comprehensive retrospective covers Mayer’s full body of work, starting with several early speculative projects and material studies. A series of sketches presents the architect’s journey and multi-faceted approach to architecture, presenting his studio’s interest in innovative structural and sculptural architectural solutions.
Mayer’s architectural language is heavily influenced by art and sculpture, as well as the small details in life. An early furniture design project, for example, called 69-0 Number, was inspired by the data protection patterns that appear on the inside of envelopes, making confidential documents illegible to outsiders. Mayer drew on those patterns, transferring them into the three-dimensional realm.
Navigating through analogue and digital experimentations, Mayer’s architecture is a hybrid of both, almost seemingly the output from an algorithm. The architect also finds inspiration in the relationship between man and technology, stating that his ‘buildings are a contemporary reflection on the relations between body, space, technology and communication.’
A variety of displays illustrate the practice's formal and intellectual foundations, while a video installation projects animation onto a series of wire frame models, perfectly in keeping with the architect’s knack for blending technology and architectural form.
This comprehensive retrospective, held in Haus Am Waldsee, also covers Mayer’s early speculative projects and material studies. Pictured: Court of justice, Belgium, 2005-2013. Photography: Filip Dujardin
Mayer’s architectural language is heavily influenced by art and sculpture, as well as the small details in life. Pictured: Border Checkpoint, Georgia 2010-2011. Photography: J. Mayer H, Jesko M. Johnsson-Zahn
Navigating through analogue and digital experimentations, Mayer’s work is a hybrid of both. Pictured: Lazika Pier, Georgia, 2012. Photography: Jürgen Mayer H
Sketches and models throughout the exhibit illustrate the foundations of his design dynamic practice. Pictured: Dupli Casa, Germany, 2005-2008. Photography: David Franck
INFORMATION
'Strukturalien – Architecture as urban sculpture' runs until 26 June 2016. For more information visit the Haus Am Waldsee website and the Jurgen Mayer H website
ADDRESS
Haus am Waldsee
Argentinische Allee 30
D-14163 Berlin
-
Bees can now check in at Kew’s new pollinator hotelAt Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden, artist Kristina Pulejkova unveils four functional sculptures that tell the hidden story of seeds and act as a refuge for bees during the heat of summer
-
Andu Masebo and The Singleton’s bespoke furniture celebrates the beauty in slow craftBritish designer Andu Masebo collaborates with single malt Scotch whisky The Singleton on a multifunctional furniture piece boasting minimal design codes
-
Inside a midcentury modern house so good, its architect didn’t want to mess with it‘I was immediately a little bit frightened, because it was such a great house,’ says architect Casper Mork-Ulnes of Roger Lee-designed gem in Berkeley, California
