Articulation

The title of the piece refers to the double meaning of the word “articulation.” In architecture, it refers to a method of styling the joints in the formal elements of architectural design, while in music it describes the transition or continuity between multiple notes or sounds.

The tectonics of modernist architecture – in this case, of the Chemistry Auditorium – becomes stratified, which leads to synchronisation and translation of the structure of the object into acoustic events.

The idea of the installation is to present the shape and order of an architectural composition based on its construction, functional and aesthetic elements. The divisions of the elevation and the shape of the building’s body turn into a peculiar graphic score, which determines the moments when sounds appear and disappear as well as their length, pitch and tone. This approach to a building’s tectonics has been inspired by a publication by Charles Jencks, a theorist and architect, entitled Architecture Becomes Music. Both the acoustic and the visual aspect of the project refers to the crude and minimalist character of modernist architecture, revealing its variety and individuality at the same time.

photo by Małgorzata Kujda