Massimiliano Fuksas delivered a lecture “Architecture in detail” in Moscow as part of the Polytech on Strelka program, prepared by the Polytechnic Museum and the Strelka Institute.
Archi.ru:
- You are in tandem with the SPEECH bureau: you won the competition for the project of the Museum and Educational Center of the Polytechnic Museum and Moscow State University on Sparrow Hills in Moscow. What, in your opinion, is the advantage of your proposal? Is it difficult to implement a project taking into account Russian building codes and regulations?
Massimiliano Fuksas:
- At this stage of the work, I do not feel any pressure from the design standards (laughs). I don’t know what is the advantage of my version, I didn’t compare, I didn’t have a chance to see the work of my opponents, so this question should be addressed to the jury. And we, as architects, did the project, and did not discuss it. In my opinion, a building can be evaluated only after its implementation. The main thing is that we tried to give an interesting and functional answer to all the tasks set before us. The Center of the Polytechnic Museum and Moscow State University is not a typical museum; it is actually a school, a place where people can exchange their ideas, knowledge, and satisfy their curiosity. This building should be filled with events, it should evoke emotions, be interesting to users.
Public buildings have their own characteristics: what should they look like in your opinion? What is the role of this functional specificity? Is there a trick that you use in all of your public buildings?
- A high-quality public space should be flexible in its structure, but at the same time meet all requirements and tasks. This idea formed the basis of our project proposal for the Center of the Polytechnic Museum and Moscow State University. The ground floor there is like a square, and can be used not only for exhibitions, but also for various events.
On the architectural "Olympus" you are one of the celestials, the creator of buildings - "icons". How do you feel about the fact that you are perceived this way, is it generally correct to "canonize" an architect?
- I will answer with the words of Woody Allen: "God is dead, Marx is dead, and I don't feel well either." [In fact, the authorship of the phrase belongs to the playwright Eugene Ionesco - approx. Yu. A.]. But I am still alive, which gives me a considerable advantage. I have done a lot, but I prefer not to look back, because I am not always satisfied with the result of my work, I know that I could have done better.
You were the curator of the 7th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2000. How do you assess the work of Rem Koolhaas in a similar role, and the entire 14th Biennale as a whole?
- No, I haven't even seen her. Having supervised her once, I can say that this experience was enough for me (laughs). What should I do there? If I participated, would it make a difference? I think not, just as if I didn’t do anything. For this reason, I prefer to do my job, but when one of my friends starts telling me something about the Biennale, I don’t mind. Plus, I'm one of the few in the world who doesn't like Venice, I totally agree with Filippo Marinetti, the great Italian artist, who argued that Venice should sink. I have several reasons for this: first of all, this is a very damp city, the second - there is too much iodine, and this pathetic "Past" does not cause delight, even if it is beautiful. I cannot understand the point of view of millions of visitors who prefer Venice to the opportunity to see all of Italy, its landscapes, its future.
How should architecture be demonstrated to the public, and should it be at all?
- It should, but the only way to demonstrate it is to build. Biennials, however, should touch upon topics of a different order. Architecture is not for exhibitions, although, of course, it can help convey, emphasize an idea, but it cannot be an exhibit. For this reason, all architectural exhibitions are so boring, and they are made mainly by architects for architects (Fuksas grabs a cake from the table to illustrate his idea). You can't sell it to the person who baked it or to someone from another bakery, it's akin to masturbation: it's nice too, you might even like it, but that's it.
The theme of your 2000 Biennale was "More Ethics, Less Aesthetics." Is it relevant today?
- 14 years ago it was simply necessary to talk about ethics. This topic is still relevant not only within the architectural community, but also for the whole world - in connection with wars, economic problems, global catastrophes, etc. Nowadays it is very easy to start a war only by means of the media. Then, at the 7th Biennale, I put on a large screen onto which photographs of different people were projected, trying to draw attention to global problems. In my opinion, art should be speaking … (at this moment the fire alarm went off). How I like this music …
To what extent is it necessary to subordinate artistic and creative goals to the principles of social responsibility?
- Today it is impossible to create something outside the social context. The Architect is a bridge, a connecting link: he contacts the authorities, speaking against or for it. I have always tried to demonstrate my attitude, to show my consciousness in certain issues. But 30 years ago, I only wanted to be recognized by the government and the people, but at the same time I did not want to recognize this power. I mean bad power. I was ambitious, but honest with myself, and remained so. You can say that Fuksas is pretentious, but … I've always wanted to be an example of independence with a bit of anarchy, creative extravagance.
Is it difficult for you to work with your wife?
- Rather, it is difficult for her to work with me (laughs). Our joint creativity is not work, it is love, and architecture is one of the forms of our love. For me, the family takes the first place in life, architecture - only the second.
You studied painting with Giorgio de Chirico, became an architect in La Sapienza, and do design. How do you find a balance between these areas of activity? Is drawing as important as you mentioned earlier?
- The main thing is that there is a balance. Yes, but drawing is not an exercise, in order to depict something, create something, you have to have it in your head and heart, otherwise nothing will work out.
You were a member of the jury of the competition for the reconstruction project of the Pushkin Museum, where only Russian architects were invited to participate - obviously, after the difficult history of cooperation with Norman Foster's bureau. But international competitions are still actively held, and the opinion remains popular that Russia needs iconic buildings by foreign masters. Should you dwell on foreign authors? Is it possible for such a turn of events that our architects will be in demand abroad? Do you feel the potential in the competition projects you saw?
- The second half of the twentieth century was not a very successful chapter in the history of Russian architecture, and there was no talk of international competitions at all. But for architects from all over the world, this is the only way to compare their skills with those of others and improve them. For this reason, one must be open: it is useless to close oneself off from the world. You must show the whole world that Russia is much better than people think of it, that much has changed over the past 20 years, architecture of a different order has appeared. For example, I liked the work of the Meganom bureau, their proposal for the Pushkin Museum. I was shown other buildings of this bureau, they are all high quality and could be realized anywhere in the world … It's hard for me to say which is better: to hold national or international competitions. It is necessary to mix everything, "mix". One thing I know for sure: now the profession of an architect goes beyond one country, it is becoming global.
In this case: what do you consider the main task for an architect at the beginning of the XXI century?
- Today it is not enough just to be an architect. You need to know what is happening not only in related disciplines, but also in economics, sociology, politics, etc. You should be curious.
