Underlining this notion, an exhibition entitled “Zoomorphic” opens today at the Victoria and Albert Museum. “Not since the explosion of Art Nouveau over a century ago has there been such a concentration of buildings inspired by the natural world” explained the curators.
Aided by research into new materials, extensive use of software for drawing and the evolution of engineering techniques, the rigid lines of modernism have given way to the so called “blob”, organic curves, ellipses and waves. At the head of this new “movement” is Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, designer of structures which seem to be about to take flight (such as the extension to the Milwaukee Art Museum, inspired by the bird), as well as Frank Gehry, Norman Foster and Renzo Piano.
To quote Aristotle: “If a better solution exists for any problem, nature will certainly have already found it”. So it is from ducks, butterflies, whales, frogs, snakes, fish and even beetles that we can learn to build better buildings? Or at least buildings that have a better synthesis between the urban and rural landscape.
18.9.2003 – 4.1.2004
Zoomorphic
http://www.vam.ac.uk
