George's Play

In the most recent Shift magazine, I discussed making common day buildings more playful - giving adults, just as we do for children, a chance to learn and grow through play. To do so we can learn not only from playgrounds but also nightclubs and bars - the adult jungle gyms we retreat to when the sun sets. George's Play is a bar/club on Church Street specializing in events such as drag queen shows and dance nights. Upon recommendation, a friend and I decided to explore this unique place.

The façade of the building is relatively unremarkable and un-telling – drab in colour and holding the potential to be merely a regular pub inside. But this it was not. Upon entering I found myself in a much happier, friendlier world than the one outside. What is it that made this place so comfortable and so good at making me dance with ease to the Latinfever-Abba-I will survive-Top-forty mix? I decided that a great part of it was the playful and eclectic interior décor/design.

Sometimes kitsch can be a good thing – especially when it’s in a place for play. Between the classical portico shelf holding liquor bottles above the bar, shirtless male torso statue, the Georgian (coincidence?) mirrors along the wall, the circus themed mural behind the stage, and the vintage (slightly suggestive) ads above the functional bar stools and tables – all mixed with rainbow neon lights and disco balls - there was no room to not fit in. It made me realise how strongly we generate an assumption about a place when it has a specific uniform décor, often with the aim of including a certain type of person, and excluding another. George’s Play has overcome this rigidity and has created a heaven of a playground that does not discriminate.

For more info: http://www.playonchurch.com/

-- Natalia Z.

Architectural Photography

I never quite liked architecture magazines or books. I always found the images to be flat and dull, even if technically masterful and the architecture beautiful. Perhaps it was the compositions devoid of people and the cold, objective ways built spaces are portrayed in two dimensions. Enter Julian Shulman. I had never heard, read, or seen any of his works until someone introduced me to this trailer and it's easy to instantly gain an appreciation of the medium.

I always thought that architecture should be experienced in the flesh. And while I still believe that is the best way to experience architecture, photography can bring a lot to it. From the sparse few images in the trailer and a rudimentary search on Shulman's work, it is immediately evident that his arrangement of geometry, line, and humanism creates a composition which stands out as an art form in itself. It would appear as if Shulman is the architectural-photographic version of Mies. Often copied but rarely perfected. I do not know where this movie will be screened in Canada but I'll certainly be on the look out for it.

-- Matt S.

San Concreto - Part I: Wurster Hall

Here are some interesting concrete creations I had a chance to explore while walking around San Francisco.

That's right - walking.

First is the notorious Wurster Hall that houses Berkeley's College of Environmental Design, locally known as the ugliest building on campus.

Wurster Hall is visionary in a way, although the vision is unfortunately that of the Third World War aftermath and of nuclear fallout. That, however, is where the building holds appeal for me - it is an exercise in exageration, a tribute to weather and time, a celebration of material. Each surface is as rich as the years it saw and the abuse it endured. The interior does not disappoint either. ;)

Year: 1964

Architects: DeMars, Esherick, Olsen.

Location: Berkeley University campus, Berkeley, California, USA

-- Andrey Y.

Outtakes

Just some outtakes from the photoshoot we did for the Shift Issue 4.1 cover. Special thanks to Yi, Sara, Jessie, and Shaun for helping me make this possible.






-- Matt S.

Klein Bottle House by McBride Charles Ryan

This vacation home located just outside Melbourne, Australia is an intricate play between line, shape, and depth. Designed by McBride Charles Ryan, the Klein Bottle House coincidentally applies the logic of the Klein Bottle. The design consists of a structure that folds into itself to become one continuous volume.

According to Eric W. Weisstein The Klein bottle is a closed non-orientable surface that has no inside or outside.





-- Fred

AGO: GottaGO

Also, for all those that checked out the brand-spanking new AGO this weekend... how much more do we love our very own Toronto-native, Mr. Frank O. Gehry?

Sinuous ramps and staircases? Beauty. Wooden beams and floors?? Beauty. Galleria Italia??? Beauty from the inside of a humongous cavernous ship/whale/fish - pure beauty!

Though the blue cladding on the South facade is still a little confusing for this Inter-Shifter, I raise my hands to the sky and thank goodness for a piece of starchitecture in the city that is contextually respectful and yet still experimental and experientially surprising. Hats off to you, Mr. Gehry.

Although the spectacular free opening weekend is over, you can still visit the museum for free on Wednesday nights 6:00-8:30 pm. It's definitely worth seeing for both the architecture and the lovely and extensive Canadian collections.

And here's a review from the New York Times.

--Yi

origami structures

For all those Inter-Shifters that remember ARC213 in the 2006-2007 semester, this should bring back a wave of nostalgia for our first ever design project.

And at the time, to think that we were all incredulous about how paper folding could be remotely architectural... just check out the beautiful temporary chapel that Swiss firm Localarchitecture has created in the small town of Pompaples, Switzerland. Chapelle de St-Loup is designed as a provisional solution for the two-year restoration period of the community church.

Here is just a preview of this modest but beautiful chapel. More pictures here and here.




-- Yi