2017 chicago architecture biennial week of 12 > 18 november.
above> super models – circular model is ‘casa rotunda’, built stabio switzerland 1980 / shown here replica by mario botta in 2017 /// rust colored model is ‘monument to the resistence’, by segrate italy 1965 / shown here replica by aldo rossi 2017
super models presents replicas of twelve models collected by german architecture museum (dam ) during the 1980s. despite the assumption that museums only knowingly show original works of art, models commissioned to replicate buildings have long been part of the culture of architectural exhibitions.
such models are understood to function as three-dimensional photographs, transferring information about the buildings that cannot be shown in galleries to visitors without claiming any status as architectural works. these models are often made by model makers and sometimes unbeknownst to the architect.
the proliferation of institutions collectin architectural materials during the 80s, however, altered the status of these objects. the new market encouraged architects to shift their production to collectable objects, like models, and to equate them with architecture itself.
super models reflects on how this simultaneously eroded and amplified attachment to authenticity entangled the work of historians, curators, and architects, ultimately modeling not history but what has become a key feature of contempary creative practice.
chicago cultural center, 78 e washington street
the second edition of the chicago architecture biennial (cab) is the largest architecture and design exhibition in north america, showcasing the transformative global impact of creativity and innovation in these fields. this year’s biennial features over 141 practitioners from more than 20 countries addressing the 2017 theme “make new history.” artistic directors sharon johnston and mark lee have selected architects and artists whose eye-opening creations will invite the public to explore how the latest architecture can and will make new history in places around the world. the main exhibition is free and open to the public from september 16, 2017 through january 7, 2018. we are particularly proud to premiere our opening in 2017 in alignment with expo chicago.