Expression – Architecture and the Arts: A Pedagogical Interaction

'Architectural Papers' is a series of books published by the Chair of Josep Lluis Mateo, department of architecture (D-ARCH) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich). Established in 2005, the series covers a wide range of topics related to teaching architecture and architectural culture in general. It aims at expanding the theoretical boundaries of the discipline. Contributors include distinguished architects and thinkers of our time, while a strong focus remains set on the content produced as part of the educational curriculum at ETH Zurich. 'Expression' is based on a three-term program at ETH Zurich investigating the topic 'architecture and art'. Essays, interviews and students' projects document and condense the findings of this topical research in three fields of art: film, literature and visual arts (both painting and sculpture). Three concrete examples in Switzerland have been studied: a Giacometti museum in Stampa, a Cinematheque in Locarno, and an Elias Canetti library in Zurich. The book shows the differing influence film, literature, and visual arts can have on architectural thought and design. It also reveals the knowledge to be gained from combining arts and architecture. The essays and the interviews with Gottfried Bohm (German architect and sculptor), Jose Luis Guerin (Spanish film director), and Pier Vittorio Aureli (Italian architect and theoretician) explore the importance of artistic impulse on architecture.