KWK promes exhibits architecture projects with mobile elements at pavillon de l'arsenal

‘moving architecture’ at galerie d’architecture, paris

on view until january 15, 2022, at the galerie d’architecture in paris, ‘moving architecture’ by KWK promes presents a series of the studio’s projects that contain mobile elements. the exhibition, which opened with a lecture by founder robert konieczny (scroll below for the full-length video), focuses on those elements that allow architecture to interfere with the space around it and create new relationships with its surroundings. projects on view include the safe house (2008, more here), konieczny’s ark (2015, more here), the national museum centre for dialogue przełomy in szczecin (2016), quadrant house (2019, more here) and the PLATO gallery of contemporary art in ostrava (more here). ‘in those designs movement is not just a gadget,’ notes the studio. ‘on the contrary, it is always the result of deep reflection and can address a problem or several problems simultaneously, transforming buildings or integrating the space around them.’

all exhibition images by DANALKA

KWK promes exhibits PROJECTS WITH mobile elements

the ‘moving architecture’ exhibition by KWK promes explores the studio’s projects containing mobile elements that allow them to transform according to different demands and conditions. KWK promes, whose domain is conceptualism, develops each of its designs through a method they call ‘the logic of space’, which allows them to free themselves from formal preferences and venture into the unknown, often to discover innovative solutions. however, when viewed from a critical distance, one can distinguish several themes that the architects develop in their subsequent designs: blurring the boundaries and stretching the architecture in space, the use of atmospheric phenomena to complement the buildings, deep references to the context, including the historical one, and the incorporation of movement in architecture. these motifs have been dubbed ‘project paths’ by the architects themselves.

at the exhibition entrance in the galerie d’architecture, there is a project paths map, presenting the links between the individual designs of the studio. those with common features lie on the same path, while those which combine several threads lie at the intersection of several paths. one of the project paths is the mobile path, which has become the main theme of the exhibition. the studio’s buildings with mobile elements are featured in the main gallery space and highlight how movement can be used to address a problem or several problems simultaneously, transforming buildings or integrating the space around them.

the name of the exhibition ‘moving architecture’ does not refer only to the projects, but also to the relationship that visitors enter into with the objects depicted on the still posters. these have been made using lenticular printing technology, which means that the moving elements begin to move at the moment when the visitor changes their point of observation. ‘when we enter the gallery, the first thing we notice is people moving in an unusual way,’ explains KWK promes. ‘we don’t yet know what exactly is going on, so it evokes a feeling of surprise. only after a while do we realise that when we change the angle of our gaze we can see the movement recorded in the still images.’

the large-format illusionist paintings are actually slightly tilted away from the wall, while on their sides, boards with further information about the exhibits have been arranged. as such, visitors discover the exhibition layer by layer, starting with the movement itself, through an understanding of what the space gains from it, to its most detailed elements.