| Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts | le
corbusier |
the
ramp "projects the spectator into the heart of the work of art to
experience its facets, illusions, and ambiguities within"
-William Curtis, Le Corbusier at Work |
|||||||||||||
 roof
plan :Le Corbusier at Work |
|||||||||||||||
 the
ramp :Le Corbusier at Work |
|||||||||||||||
 into
the studio from the ramp :Le Corbusier at Work |
|||||||||||||||
| My interest in this building lies mainly in the relationship between the studios and the public. A ramp penetrates the building drawing visitors into the heart of the building. As you walk up the ramp the visitor is allowed to see into the studios located on the second and third floors. The ramps creates many relationships. It allows the visitors to the building to become voyeurs as they 'spy' on the students working (in some cases four at a time). At the same time the view out of the studios looks right across the ramp, reversing the previous relationship, and allowing those working to become voyeurs. | |||||||||||||||
| From the ramp you can see studios, workshops, exhibition space, and the street-scape beyond. | |||||||||||||||
 into
the studio from the ramp :Le Corbusier at Work |
|||||||||||||||
 section
:Le Corbusier at Work |
|||||||||||||||
| The public views into the creation spaces is one that is viewed as both positive and negative for the users and the visitors. When the building opened, the students and teachers had a lot to say about the building and the visual access that is provided by the ramp and the adjacent studios. Many felt that the studio spaces should be private and they resented the public intrusion into their private worlds. "I feel like a celebrity, but sometimes I want to be alone and contemplative with my work and thats impossible in the studios." (Le Corbusier at Work, 271) However at the same time those in the studios appreciated the view beyond that the studios allowed. The public windows offered the opportunity to hang work and be able to see them in natural light and from a distance. Despite the public nature of the studios those working within them are protected from outside visitors. The doors to the studios are not accessible and visitors often asked if the building was ever open. This is an interesting dilemma-how do you protect the creators privacy while exposing ones wares? | |||||||||||||||
| bibliography | |||||||||||||||
| Curtis, William and Eduard F. Sekler. Le Corbusier at Work: The Genesis of the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. Cambridge,Mass:Harvard University Press, 1978. | |||||||||||||||
| inspiration | back | ||||||||||||||