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Neue Tote braucht das Land - FAZ.NET - Feuilleton

Neue Tote braucht das Land - FAZ.NET - Feuilleton

Is The Great Pyramid the really first or the last Postmodern architecture?

The fact that Robert Venturi is participating in the competition, is a clear indication of a great postmodern architecture discussion. The Great Pyramid joins many aspects of postmodern architecture: The pyramid is 1.) THE architecture of the memories and 2.) the shape is communicating a meaning, a symbolic picture of the mankind. 3.) Like Carlo Scarpa’s Brion-Vega Cemetery (1970-72) show´s it is necessary and possible the human requirements are be considered. Especially a memorial/ burial place should posses a solemn nature, yet it must not cause the visitor to become depressed. 4.) The Pyramid is a typical symmetrical façade and deals with the illusion of depths where none actually exist in monolith blocks/ mounds of concrete. 5.) but the ironic and paradoxical is, that every single stone is decoreted individuel by the people: endless citation of all conceivable styles collide, forms, materials, colors, ornaments at the surface of the blocks, at the first inch, the blind displays show the internal light of the black-boxes. 6.) Double coding, on macroscopic scale a monumental ancient sculpture stands for infinitely and eternally values, on microscopic scale the pixels seems more camp than overwhelming, stands for individual, limited and brief values, meant the buildings convey many meanings simultaneously, really pluralism. 7.) The real task is the contextualism of a Pyramid, a Great Pyramid in a rural landscape. We are very strained on the results of the competition.

Minimal Pyramid and Black box concept

For me one important aspect is, that the Pyramid project deals with the attitude of Minimal Art and Conceptual Art. Especially the work of Sol LeWitt could be seen as a great inspiration. He died on April 8, 2007 and the Pyramid will honor his work too. "Reducing art to basic shapes, lines and colors thus urging the viewer to open their mind - LeWitt helped establish Conceptualism and Minimalism as dominant movements of the postwar era. In 1967 he wrote an article in Artforum, stating “Conceptual art is not necessarily logical. The ideas need not be complex. Most ideas that are successful are ludicrously simple. Successful ideas generally have the appearance of simplicity because they seem inevitable.” [Citation: gothamist.com/2007/04/09/sol_lewitt_1929.php]

But as you can see the Pyramid are not only about this, it is a open concept, think about art and society. My special interests are the meanings from the memorial or tomb stones as a "black box" concept. The former coffin or urn as a black box (also see Peter Sloterdijk: Der ästhetische Imperativ, 2007) and the new virtual Pyramid stones as a lucid black box extension in the Web.

Art 2.0

And The Great Pyramid project has not to much to do with Christos attitude, except for the art category "Land Art". Did you heart about the concepts from Joseph Beuys "social sculpture" or Martin Kippenbergers "Metro-Net" or Gerhard Richters "Domfenster"... Our Pyramid is not only technically oriented, it is also a art work and perhaps a new art production mode, the first "Art 2.0" project. Let´s talk about.

feasibility study´s

We also know about a feasibility study from a german construction company (now broken) from 1999 [Source: TV Magazin Quarks, www.wdr.de, Article "Cheops in Köln", no longer online] . There clone of the Cheop´s Pyramid in Cologne would cost (about projected onto 2008) 4,5 Billion Euro. But 80% of the total cost comes from the natural material, stonemasons, cutting, polishing and transport the stones. They calculate with 1,4 Million stones in different size (up to 40 Tonnes). We calculate whit 5.239.625 concrete blocks (half cubic meters concrete), manufactured near the pyramid. Big scale effects make it efficiently, we think.
And the architectural challenge is the area around the Pyramid and how this can grow up with the Pyramid.
So stay tuned and don´t let fool about the size - it´s the process!

withstand the environmental influences

Many ask, how the pyramid can withstand the environmental influences and the climate in Germany.
First: It is a long term project. Who knows whether not soon prevails
climate as in North Africa? (Just kidding)
Second: We chose a manner, where the surface of the pyramid renews itself again and again. After not to long time the new stones do protect the underlying old. Thus it is guaranteed that the pyramid looks always finished and brand new.
We call it the American-Indians manner (from the inside outward), in opposition of the egyptian manner: (layer by layer).
Thus it is also possible, simply beginning without definition of the final dimensions.
So just begin and let the pyramid grow.