The productive tandem of the famous Russian architectural bureau, founded by Dmitry Likin and Oleg Shapiro, and a company specializing in the supply of ceramics deserves a separate discussion. I would like to start it with the last Arch of Moscow, where Wowhaus together with Arch-Skin and Vitra presented an interesting exposition in the form of a small symbolic amphitheater. The twentieth anniversary exhibition was traditionally held in the Central House of Artists at the end of May, however, it surprised its regular visitors with the noticeably changed format and composition of the expositions.
In one of the small halls on the third floor of the Central House of Artists, visitors could find a very peculiar space: a small, narrow room sandwiched between the cinema and the exposition of the MARCH school, occupied by a solid monolithic stepped volume. Placed diagonally across the hall, it combined seats for spectators, a stage for speakers, and a screen for broadcasting films and images. Designed to be a place for communication, dialogue, learning and discussion, the white tall structure was set off and highlighted by striking elements from Arch-Skin materials. In particular, ceramics from the Design collection (LAMINAMRUS Oxide Nero) were used. Juicy orange ramps stood on either side of the high podium in the center, helping exhibition visitors to easily overcome the obstacle, moving from one hall to another. And all the main surfaces of the hall were faced with a noble dark brown "leather" from Arch-Skin with a soft golden sheen.
Recall that for the first time this
the installation was presented in January this year at the Architektur Galerie Berlin. The Wowhaus bureau was personally invited to Germany by the gallery owner Ulrich Müller in order to familiarize the Berlin public with the current trends in Russian architecture. But not in the form of tablets and layouts, but in the form of unusual art objects and art installations that allow one to penetrate the essence of the creative thinking of a Russian architect. The exposition of Oleg Shapiro and Dmitry Likin became the first in a series of planned and regular exhibitions of this kind. They are planned to be held about 1-2 times a year. And it was for the space of the Berlin gallery that the architects came up with their concept called "Architecture as Communication", and then successfully implemented it not only in Germany, but also at home, in Moscow.
According to the author's manifesto, the project is dedicated to the ability of architecture to conduct social dialogue, changing the life of the city. “An architect may not be heard, but he must articulate problems to society and propose ways to solve them,” says the Wowhaus manifesto. Architecture should facilitate the emergence of contacts between people, who, in turn, communicating and interacting, will transform and update their environment. The amphitheater, beloved by Oleg Shapiro and Dmitry Likin, became the embodiment and symbol of communication in architecture.
I must say that, like in Berlin, the amphitheater worked in Moscow, fully justifying its functional purpose. There was no empty space on its high white steps-benches. Visitors to the exhibition even settled on a staircase and a small podium, which for the most part was to be used as a transit space for the movement of visitors.
Within the framework of Arch of Moscow, the amphitheater was not the only platform where the capabilities of Arch-Skin materials were demonstrated. In addition, the company's products were presented on the second floor of the Central House of Artists in the "Teplitskaya Design" exposition, where ceramics, interesting in their color and decor, were made interior items and coffee tables made of unique smaltoceramics. In addition, at the central entrance to the artists' house, one could see a spectacular art object "Golden River", created by SPEECH bureau in cooperation with the Italian
by artist Marco Bravura with active contributions from Arch-Skin.
Leaving aside Arch of Moscow, I would like to remind you that examples of fruitful cooperation between Wowhaus and Arch-Skin do not end there. The most ambitious and important here can rightfully be called the project for the reconstruction of the Drama Theater. K. S. Stanislavsky. Today, thanks to the efforts of the bureau, it has turned into the Stanislavsky Electrotheatre. In the creation of his interiors, Arch-Skin products played, if not a decisive, then a very important role. The softness of textures, the versatility of the color palette, the convenient varying sizes of the tiles helped to solve a complex design problem, which simultaneously presupposes both the preservation of the historical appearance and the improvement of the space, bringing it to meet the demands of the modern world.
We have already talked about this project in detail on our website. It is important that both in small art objects and in installations presented at the international level, and even inside such multi-layered interiors as in a theater, where the history and cultural heritage of the country intersect and collide with modernity, the approach of the architects remains unchanged. This approach is best reflected in the eloquent title of the above-mentioned exhibition - "Architecture as Communication". And this is not only the ability of architecture to push the residents of the city to communicate, it is also the need for a constant dialogue of any architectural object with the city. Theater, for the authors, in this sense differs little from parks, embankments and installations - it should be a part of the urban environment, it should be of interest to the townspeople, it should be active and multifunctional. And it must also be efficiently implemented, and here it is important not to be mistaken with the choice of materials.
