2. The installation teases
questions regarding the
relationship that form and
space have with gendered
habits, behaviour and notions
The intense tectonic
approach enhances the
struggle between formal
attitudes and cultural norms
and imaginations
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50
domus 19 June 2013
51
Engendering
form?
An installation looks at the
relationship between architecture
and gender identity by asking if
space can reflect the alternative
and non-conformist attitudes
and lifestyles of those who erase
gender barriers
This installation by Collaborative Architecture
at the ColourNext 2013 exhibition explores
space and form through colour. It attempted to
metaphorically contrive and tag ‘gender-neutral
architectural space’ through associative colour
derived out of ColourNext 2013 predictive research.
Gender bending is less to do with the aphorisms
and the externality that people associate with
lifestyle, and it is more engaging than the overt
sexual identity generally associated with the
community. What makes the group unique is its
courage to question the social mores, the given
gender, the status quo, the raison d’être and the non-
conformative spirit.
The exterior of the installation is clad with mirror-
finished aluminium panels — which is reflective
of the society’s views of anything to do with
alternative gender identities. At one level, it is the
incomplete, fragmented view of ourselves, staring
back at us.
The slanted trapezoidal prisms reflect the colour in
several different ways depending on the angle of
view of the spectator. Each vantage point throws
up a different view and colour palette — another
interpretation of gender fluidity that it is trying to
generate. —
Design, text, photos
Collaborative Architecture