Kengo Kuma. Onomatopoeia Architecture

«Onomatopoeia does not treat architecture as the subject of operations by higher-ranking actors (architects) but treats architecture and humans on the same level. Architects are not at the head of architecture but walk around the architecture with users. Onomatopoeia is a kind of animal-like voice that is emitted at a physical and experiential level.» Taking inspiration from Kengo Kuma’s own words, ACP Art Capital Partners – Palazzo Franchetti, in collaboration with the international firm Kengo Kuma and Associates, will be presenting an original retrospective around a unique theme of the innovative contemporary Japanese architect and his projects located across the globe, opening to the public on 14 May.
With onomatopoeia, the act of creating or using words that include sounds associated with what is named, as a starting point, Kengo Kuma gives form to a physical sensation which expresses his dea of sustainable architecture, where materials are recovered and people and physical things are reconnected. Taking Japanese traditions and its preferred materials - wood, paper and metal – he
applies them in his own unique and contemporary manner. In his vision, surfaces engage not only with sight, but also with the senses of smell and touch. The exhibition consists of the models for some of his most significant buildings, encouraging visitors to discover the sonority behind the  different materials.

«Every time I go to Venice and feel close to the water as a "material", I think about the dialogue between man and material. In this exhibition at Palazzo Franchetti in Venice, I would like to show how I create a dialogue with materials. In this dialogue, I don't often use a language influenced by logic. And when I use it, it is impossible to make people understand me. That is why always use Onomatopoeia. The material and the body are talking to each other, and they resonate  when using this primal language».
Kengo Kuma

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