George Maciunas Prefabricated Building System (reposting as exhibit still in progress)
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George Maciunas Prefabricated Building System
Maya Stendhal Gallery
June 5 – August 23, 2008
Opening Reception: Thursday 5 June 6-9 pm
George Maciunas Prefabricated Building System presents an exciting
chapter in artist George Maciunas' prolific oeuvre, focusing on his
ventures in architecture. The exhibition critically examines a
particular architectural project for a prefabricated mass housing
system, which Maciunas drafted in the late 1950s and developed toward
utopian ends through 1965. His original plan has been thoroughly
researched and put to the test in the form of a three-dimensional model,
which will be unveiled for the first time. The exhibition gives new
understanding to the artist's progressive ideas on art,
architecture, and design and their capacity to have bearing on broader
social and cultural issues.
The presentation as a whole discloses defining features that set
Maciunas' dwelling apart from most prefabricated house experiments.
Emanating throughout the entire structure is an adept mixing of
functionalist concerns with a breathtaking poetic, sculptural and
spatial beauty, and a sense of the spiritual.
Observing the building plan's simplicity of composition in relation
to Maciunas' very particular notions on form, function, economy, and
efficiency informing the presentation, it becomes apparent that he was
steeped in the latest theories and technical developments. A standard
method of joinery, for example, indicates that Maciunas formulated his
plan with real factory production in mind. Designed for quick and easy
assembly with a minimum number of components necessary, the structure
requires no heavy machinery, and can be erected using local, untrained
labor. Its great flexibility of form and material means that it can
function as a residential, institutional, industrial, or agricultural
building, and that it can adapt to specific topographical and climate
conditions.
The structure can change shape and size according to most any external
site restrictions, while also meeting the needs and facilitating the
routines of those working or living inside. Durability is another
distinctive feature. The system as a whole is able to withstand natural
disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods. Predating
today's eco-minded homes, Maciunas' dwelling allows the
inhabitants to control the admittance of solar light and warmth, simply
by shifting a wall panel.
Maciunas' prefabricated housing system, in form, function, material,
and flexibility, resonates in a contemporary culture that thrives on
utilitarian, mass-produced products made to meet the varying needs of
the individual consumer. Not surprisingly, "cultural
entrepreneur" was one of the many titles given to Maciunas during
his career.
It was realized early on that a curatorial project of this magnitude and
scope could only be realized with the advice and skill of experts in the
field of architecture and three-dimensional design. Maya Stendhal
Gallery looked internally to its own architect, Scott Weinkle for
guidance in formulating the logic, pragmatics, and structural details
governing Maciunas' building system. After scaling the plan,
certain numerical patterns appeared, suggesting that Maciunas'
desired the 9 rectangles composing the building to be modular units
of the same size. Weinkle's precise observation allowed all
elevations and sections to be developed within a well-defined
proportional logic. These conclusions were then imported into a 3-D
modeling program with the ability to give the rendered images various
lighting and material characteristics. From this, the architectural
model and accompanying walk-through digital animation were generated.
Measuring 142 x 147 x 40.5 cm. with a base of 162.5 x 167.5 cm., the
model is exactly 1:10 the size of the actual house. Materials consist
primarily of heavy density fiberboard with styrene, extruded aluminum,
acrylic panels, and a wood base.
Maciunas Prefabricated Building System is devised as a methodological
plan illustrating his hyper-rational analysis and the extraordinary
design acumen for which he has become known. Also referenced as
Maciunas' Plastic Prefab, it was initially published as a 1965
collaborative work by Henry Flynt and Maciunas and in a 1966 issue of
the journal Underground.
One year prior to this project, in 1964, Maciunas wrote The Grand Frauds
of Architecture: Mies van der Rohe, Eero Saarinen, Gordon Bunshaft,
Frank Lloyd Wright, a text that critiques the modern masters for not
staying true to their own ideals. Offered as a direct response,
Maciunas' scheme reflects his belief in architecture's capacity
to uphold standards of value, economy, and efficiency.
You see, the reason I am so concerned with [functionalism] is that
that's an architect's training. I mean, that's the way the
architect thinks, he thinks in functionalism otherwise he's not an
architect, he's a sculptor or a stage designer.
George Maciunas, interview with Larry Miller, 1978. Transcript repr. in
Jon Hendricks ed., Fluxus etc./Addenda I. The Gilbert and Lila
Silverman Collection (New York: Ink &, 1983), 24.
George Maciunas was a Lithuanian born American artist. He studied
architecture at Cooper Union School of Art in New York from 1949 to
1952, and the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh from 1952
to 1953 receiving his Bachelors with honors in 1954. After graduation,
he came back to New York continuing his graduate studies at the
Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, with a concentration on art
history of the European & Siberian migrations from 1955 to 1959. He
also worked with renowned firms such as Knoll and Skidmore, Owings &
Merrill in the 1950s and early 1960s. His experience in the corporate
design world led him to redeploy its very systems toward artistic and
critical ends, helping to provide him with the impetus behind the Fluxus
art collective of the 1960s and 1970s.
Considered a charismatic, highly intelligent individual by all who met
him, Maciunas had an impressive spectrum of interests that he studied
rigorously: art history, music, design, architecture, and the history of
ancient cultures, among others. He poured his wealth and knowledge into
making numerous charts, systems, and atlases, from which he created his
diagrammatic "learning machines." He became known as the
"Chairman" and "Impresario" of Fluxus. Fueled by
Maciunas' innovative views on art and society, Fluxus attracted an
international array of artists whose work cut across genres including
music, dance, visual art, literature, non-narrative film, architecture,
performance, and "events." His graphic layouts for posters,
flyers, newspapers, artists' name labels, and the presentation of
Fluxus works as "anti-commodities" have become celebrated for
the landmark design that so distinguished Fluxus production. These
works have come to symbolize the utilitarian philosophy that drove
Maciunas in life and art, favoring "functionalism" and
"concretism" over decorative attributes.
In the mid to late 1960s, Maciunas' background in architecture
guided his utopian vision of establishing the first artists' living
and working cooperatives in New York City, which he dubbed the Fluxhouse
Cooperatives. A marker of urban planning and design, this pragmatic
program initiated in 1966 renovated abandoned buildings creating the
first artists' lofts in the region below Houston Street in NYC,
known then only by the fire department's designation –
"Hell's Hundred Acres." The first successful Fluxhouse
Cooperative organized by Maciunas was 80 Wooster St. in 1967, which
housed his friend and compatriot Jonas Mekas' Filmmakers'
Cinematheque. His endeavors forever changed the face of New York's
legendary neighborhood, and ultimately earned him the title "Father
of SoHo."
Maya Stendhal Gallery would like to thank architect Scott Weinkle for
assembling the architectural presentation, Julia E. Robinson and
Christian Xaterc for their contributions to the project carrying out
valuable research and scholarship in support of Maciunas' vision,
Brooklyn Model Works for building the architectural model on view,
Maurice Arduz for creating the three-dimensional architectural
renderings and accompanying walk-through digital animation, Carolina
Carrasco and Mari Dumett for their original contributions in research
and scholarship on Maciunas Prefabricated Building System, and Ken
Friedman, Hollis Melton, and Charles R. Simpson for providing support
material in the form of essays and writings.
The exhibition George Maciunas Prefabricated Building System was
organized and produced by Harry Stendhal, Director of Maya Stendhal
Gallery, New York.
For more information or images please contact
gallery@mayastendhalgallery.com
Tel: 212.366.1549
MAYA STENDHAL GALLERY
545 West 20th Street.
New York
NY 10011
USA
George Maciunas Prefabricated Building System
Maya Stendhal Gallery
June 5 – August 23, 2008
Opening Reception: Thursday 5 June 6-9 pm
George Maciunas Prefabricated Building System presents an exciting
chapter in artist George Maciunas' prolific oeuvre, focusing on his
ventures in architecture. The exhibition critically examines a
particular architectural project for a prefabricated mass housing
system, which Maciunas drafted in the late 1950s and developed toward
utopian ends through 1965. His original plan has been thoroughly
researched and put to the test in the form of a three-dimensional model,
which will be unveiled for the first time. The exhibition gives new
understanding to the artist's progressive ideas on art,
architecture, and design and their capacity to have bearing on broader
social and cultural issues.
The presentation as a whole discloses defining features that set
Maciunas' dwelling apart from most prefabricated house experiments.
Emanating throughout the entire structure is an adept mixing of
functionalist concerns with a breathtaking poetic, sculptural and
spatial beauty, and a sense of the spiritual.
Observing the building plan's simplicity of composition in relation
to Maciunas' very particular notions on form, function, economy, and
efficiency informing the presentation, it becomes apparent that he was
steeped in the latest theories and technical developments. A standard
method of joinery, for example, indicates that Maciunas formulated his
plan with real factory production in mind. Designed for quick and easy
assembly with a minimum number of components necessary, the structure
requires no heavy machinery, and can be erected using local, untrained
labor. Its great flexibility of form and material means that it can
function as a residential, institutional, industrial, or agricultural
building, and that it can adapt to specific topographical and climate
conditions.
The structure can change shape and size according to most any external
site restrictions, while also meeting the needs and facilitating the
routines of those working or living inside. Durability is another
distinctive feature. The system as a whole is able to withstand natural
disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods. Predating
today's eco-minded homes, Maciunas' dwelling allows the
inhabitants to control the admittance of solar light and warmth, simply
by shifting a wall panel.
Maciunas' prefabricated housing system, in form, function, material,
and flexibility, resonates in a contemporary culture that thrives on
utilitarian, mass-produced products made to meet the varying needs of
the individual consumer. Not surprisingly, "cultural
entrepreneur" was one of the many titles given to Maciunas during
his career.
It was realized early on that a curatorial project of this magnitude and
scope could only be realized with the advice and skill of experts in the
field of architecture and three-dimensional design. Maya Stendhal
Gallery looked internally to its own architect, Scott Weinkle for
guidance in formulating the logic, pragmatics, and structural details
governing Maciunas' building system. After scaling the plan,
certain numerical patterns appeared, suggesting that Maciunas'
desired the 9 rectangles composing the building to be modular units
of the same size. Weinkle's precise observation allowed all
elevations and sections to be developed within a well-defined
proportional logic. These conclusions were then imported into a 3-D
modeling program with the ability to give the rendered images various
lighting and material characteristics. From this, the architectural
model and accompanying walk-through digital animation were generated.
Measuring 142 x 147 x 40.5 cm. with a base of 162.5 x 167.5 cm., the
model is exactly 1:10 the size of the actual house. Materials consist
primarily of heavy density fiberboard with styrene, extruded aluminum,
acrylic panels, and a wood base.
Maciunas Prefabricated Building System is devised as a methodological
plan illustrating his hyper-rational analysis and the extraordinary
design acumen for which he has become known. Also referenced as
Maciunas' Plastic Prefab, it was initially published as a 1965
collaborative work by Henry Flynt and Maciunas and in a 1966 issue of
the journal Underground.
One year prior to this project, in 1964, Maciunas wrote The Grand Frauds
of Architecture: Mies van der Rohe, Eero Saarinen, Gordon Bunshaft,
Frank Lloyd Wright, a text that critiques the modern masters for not
staying true to their own ideals. Offered as a direct response,
Maciunas' scheme reflects his belief in architecture's capacity
to uphold standards of value, economy, and efficiency.
You see, the reason I am so concerned with [functionalism] is that
that's an architect's training. I mean, that's the way the
architect thinks, he thinks in functionalism otherwise he's not an
architect, he's a sculptor or a stage designer.
George Maciunas, interview with Larry Miller, 1978. Transcript repr. in
Jon Hendricks ed., Fluxus etc./Addenda I. The Gilbert and Lila
Silverman Collection (New York: Ink &, 1983), 24.
George Maciunas was a Lithuanian born American artist. He studied
architecture at Cooper Union School of Art in New York from 1949 to
1952, and the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh from 1952
to 1953 receiving his Bachelors with honors in 1954. After graduation,
he came back to New York continuing his graduate studies at the
Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, with a concentration on art
history of the European & Siberian migrations from 1955 to 1959. He
also worked with renowned firms such as Knoll and Skidmore, Owings &
Merrill in the 1950s and early 1960s. His experience in the corporate
design world led him to redeploy its very systems toward artistic and
critical ends, helping to provide him with the impetus behind the Fluxus
art collective of the 1960s and 1970s.
Considered a charismatic, highly intelligent individual by all who met
him, Maciunas had an impressive spectrum of interests that he studied
rigorously: art history, music, design, architecture, and the history of
ancient cultures, among others. He poured his wealth and knowledge into
making numerous charts, systems, and atlases, from which he created his
diagrammatic "learning machines." He became known as the
"Chairman" and "Impresario" of Fluxus. Fueled by
Maciunas' innovative views on art and society, Fluxus attracted an
international array of artists whose work cut across genres including
music, dance, visual art, literature, non-narrative film, architecture,
performance, and "events." His graphic layouts for posters,
flyers, newspapers, artists' name labels, and the presentation of
Fluxus works as "anti-commodities" have become celebrated for
the landmark design that so distinguished Fluxus production. These
works have come to symbolize the utilitarian philosophy that drove
Maciunas in life and art, favoring "functionalism" and
"concretism" over decorative attributes.
In the mid to late 1960s, Maciunas' background in architecture
guided his utopian vision of establishing the first artists' living
and working cooperatives in New York City, which he dubbed the Fluxhouse
Cooperatives. A marker of urban planning and design, this pragmatic
program initiated in 1966 renovated abandoned buildings creating the
first artists' lofts in the region below Houston Street in NYC,
known then only by the fire department's designation –
"Hell's Hundred Acres." The first successful Fluxhouse
Cooperative organized by Maciunas was 80 Wooster St. in 1967, which
housed his friend and compatriot Jonas Mekas' Filmmakers'
Cinematheque. His endeavors forever changed the face of New York's
legendary neighborhood, and ultimately earned him the title "Father
of SoHo."
Maya Stendhal Gallery would like to thank architect Scott Weinkle for
assembling the architectural presentation, Julia E. Robinson and
Christian Xaterc for their contributions to the project carrying out
valuable research and scholarship in support of Maciunas' vision,
Brooklyn Model Works for building the architectural model on view,
Maurice Arduz for creating the three-dimensional architectural
renderings and accompanying walk-through digital animation, Carolina
Carrasco and Mari Dumett for their original contributions in research
and scholarship on Maciunas Prefabricated Building System, and Ken
Friedman, Hollis Melton, and Charles R. Simpson for providing support
material in the form of essays and writings.
The exhibition George Maciunas Prefabricated Building System was
organized and produced by Harry Stendhal, Director of Maya Stendhal
Gallery, New York.
For more information or images please contact
gallery@mayastendhalgallery.com
Tel: 212.366.1549
MAYA STENDHAL GALLERY
545 West 20th Street.
New York
NY 10011
USA
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