Architecture exhibits are a tricky business. Unlike art shows, where it is possible to see ““ and almost touch ““ the finished work, the same is not true for architecture exhibits. Unless willing to take a full-length tour of a particular house, it is unlikely guests will be able to see and fully experience the finished product.
This is the main dilemma with the Hammer Museum’s current installation, “Between Earth and Heaven: The Architecture of John Lautner.” The exhibit, running through Oct. 12, features 50 designs from the L.A.-based architect Lautner, whose career spanned six decades.
Characterized by its expansive ceilings, panoramic views, integration of the nature and penchant for glass, Lautner’s houses were designed to give a viewer the sense of being elevated above the world while still maintaining a solid foot on the ground.
The question of how to give the audience a feel of the many different styles of the artist without making it seem like a textbook or a lecture is the dilemma within the exhibit, one which proves difficult to overcome. Through original floor plans, architectural renderings, construction photographs and plaques highlighting the important principles behind each work, audiences are given the historical background and concept behind each building.
Floor plans aside, the standout parts of the exhibit are the large-scale models of certain houses, which allow audiences to look through and around the house. Each model is placed in front of a panoramic photograph of the view that it offers, allowing the viewer to look out of the miniature, full-length glass windows into the skyline below.
Such models bring the principles of Lautner’s designs to life. Each model is accompanied by a short color film by prizewinning documentarian Murray Grigor of the real-life house. This allows audiences to see the concepts behind the structure without paying the immense amount of money required to personally tour the house.
The highlight of the exhibit includes a model of the infamous chemosphere, a spaceship-like house that was influenced by aerospace technology and whose innovative design is featured in movies such as “Charlie’s Angels” and TV shows like “The Simpsons.” Perched atop a slender beam of support and accessible only by a tram, the model allows viewers to see its impressive view of the L.A. skyline and mountain ranges as well as its complicated structural arrangement.
Yet, despite the impressive models, they are too few and as such, the exhibit borders on lifelessness. There is an overreliance on the floor plans and text to convey ideas, which takes away the interactive feel that is necessary to a successful exhibit and makes it seem more like a textbook than an exhibit.
Perhaps colored photographs, digital animation or even a step-by-step tutorial of key concepts would have added that much needed variety to the exhibit. Instead, audiences are expected to understand the floor plans at first glance and to grasp the nature of the buildings through words on a board. To the casual patron, such an exhibit may venture on the colorless side because it is not immediately accessible.
However, to those interested in architecture, especially that of Los Angeles, “Between Earth and Heaven” is an important visit for all architecture aficionados who want to see the progression of Lautner’s work from early periods to later periods.
Or, it is also appealing to any who want to explore some awe-inspiring designs in architecture.
““ Diep Tran
E-mail Tran at dtran@media.ucla.edu.