Pictures from Italy

Christ & Gantenbein Review is a new series of books edited by Swiss architects Emanuel Christ and Christoph Gantenbein, in which they explore issues and topics arising from their architectural work. 'Pictures From Italy', the series' initial volume, also represents Christ & Gantenbein's first architectural project after they had setup their studio in Basel. The pictures were shot during a six week journey throughout Italy in 1999. The journey itself and the images seen and taken proved to be of fundamental influence to Christ & Gantenbein's entire work since. Intending to look at historical architecture, in a quasi-unhistorical way, with the contemporary view of the 21st century, they chose Italy in search for absolute timelessness. In 'Pictures From Italy' these pictures are juxtaposed with images of Christ & Gantenbein's built projects, making traceable the lasting impact of their Italian journey on their realised buildings in Switzerland and abroad. There is no direct causal relationship between Italy and their architecture. Yet this book aims to illustrate Christ & Gantenbein's general architectural philosophy and not at delineating an architectural genealogy of their work. It expresses the continuity of the architectural through the coexistence of the pictures. Text in English and German.