albert frey & lina bo bardi: a search for living architecture

2018
PSAM
Photography: Lance Gerber

The exhibit is an unprecedented exploration of two visionary architects who critically expanded the meaning and practice of modern architecture. Bo Bardi (1914–1992) emigrated from Italy to Brazil in 1946 and Frey (1903–1998) from Switzerland to the United States in 1930. Though the two did not meet, Bo Bardi translated Frey’s treatise Living Architecture for Domus, and their personal and professional odysseys are representative of the emergence of São Paulo and Southern California as architectural and cultural laboratories in the middle of the 20th century. They each created modernist houses, furniture, public buildings, and approaches to urban design that move beyond strict rationalism to embrace the social and environmental contexts specific to their adoptive homes in Brazil and Southern California. Bo Bardi and Frey shared a belief in architecture as a way to connect people, nature, building, and living. As they embraced modern technologies, they responded to the climate and terrain of the local environment and the people whose personal and social experiences were touched by those conditions.

The goal of the exhibit design was to create zones that showcase the work of each architect, but also demonstrate specific areas where their designs and process intersect. Our team’s solution was to design scrims of colors and shapes often represented in their work, temporary walls in the same color scheme, and identifiable color zones on the floor. Scrims, tables, platforms, and displays were custom designed and built specifically for the exhibit.