wittgenstein's cabin: amphibious dwellings in the norwegian fjords by dionisio gonzález

contemporary cabins in the norwegian fjords

in his latest series, titled wittgenstein’s cabin, visual artist dionisio gonzález (more here) envisions a group of amphibious dwellings set on the norwegian fjords. the project draws from austrian-british philosopher ludwig wittgenstein’s secluded hut, planned and built in 1914 on the steep shore of lake eidsvatnet in skjolden, beside the sognefjord. designed as prototypes for thought, the amphibious dwellings act as reflections of the world while in turn, they are reflected on the mirror of the waters.

‘there is something revealing and emphatic in wittgenstein’s norwegian cabin, and that is the confrontation, the frontality with the fjord, with the water lodged behind the action of the glaciers,’ explains dionisio gonzález. ‘wittgenstein worked on his studies of logic on a boat his friend david pinsent sailed in the sognefjord. this fact, this “event” of the research, the learning and memorizing on a small aquatic means of transport, which serves as a writing desk, led me to consider the relationship of architecture with water, and of philosophy as an “amphibian” endeavour. how would wittgenstein frame that organic building, that architectonic construction in a liquid medium with the present media? what would contemporary cabins be like in diffracting settings of propagating waves, such as the norwegian fjords?’

all images courtesy of dionisio gonzález 

fictional aquatic architecture by dionisio gonzález 

with wittgenstein’s norwegian cabin as a starting point, dionisio gonzález analyzes the early structural plan of architecture, the wooden cabin, as a space for reflection and seclusion. ‘the acoustic properties of wooden houses are excellent, as wood absorbs any waves it receives,’ notes the spanish artist. ‘the wooden house is a silent house. the walls of heidegger’s cabin in the black forest were (are) cladded in wood shingles.’  at the same time, gonzález singles out the confrontation with the water and the surrounding landscape in wittgenstein’s cabin, and translates it into fictional examples of contemporary aquatic architecture.

wittgenstein’s studies of logic on a boat his friend david pinsent sailed in the sognefjord inspired gonzález to explore the relationship between architecture and water. ‘“im anfang war die tat” (“in the beginning was the deed”), goethe’s verse in faust, which wittgenstein quoted with approval, was perhaps the rubric, the statement of all of wittgenstein’s late philosophy. and perhaps, too, the principle from which to face the challenge of the construction of an aquatic retreat,’ says the artist. ‘ultimately the austrian philosopher would say, am I not getting closer and closer to saying that in the end logic cannot be described? you must look at the practice of language, then you will see it.‘ that you will see it is the function of this series. that recreating a world of possibilities, complex but anchored in logic, which can be conceived as real.

explaining more about the context behind ‘wittgenstein’s cabin’, dionisio gonzález says: in 1914, ludwig wittgenstein (1889-1951) sketched and planned the construction of a wooden house on the steep shore of lake eidsvatnet in skjolden, beside the sognefjord in norway. in that small space, on a slope, wittgenstein had found the tranquillity he needed to work ascetically, like a hermit, on his studies of logic. after deciding on the location in which to ‘ensconce’ himself, in order to disappear and concentrate on the work of thinking and contemplation, he built a house and a small jetty. to access it, one had to cross the lake by boat or walk over the ice during the winter months. it was built on a stone platform – typical of local architecture – and in wood, with horizontal planks, a slate roof and rooms at different heights; one of its façades was asymmetrical.

world war I delayed wittgenstein’s return to norway until 1921, and his last visit to skjolden took place in the september holiday of 1950, when he was convalescing, and suffering from prostate cancer. there, with his friend ben richards, he studied frege’s foundations of arithmetic. he had intended to come back again, and purchased a ticket on a steamship that was due to set offfrom newcastle to bergen in december, but by then he was too weak to embark on the journey. as heidegger said, we are only capable of inhabiting on the basis of rootlessness.

contemporary aquatic architecture from ‘wittgenstein’s cabin’ by dionisio gonzález

amphibious dwellings floating on norway’s fjords

the cabins act as reflections of the world while in turn, they are reflected on the mirror of the waters

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project info:

name: wittgenstein’s cabin

artist: dionisio gonzález