Other Architectural F(r)ictions

Following previous posts, and as I am about to embark on a panel on fiction in the Beyond Media festival, here is the work of another photographer, who, following architectural studies and a collaboration with Herzog & de Meuron, decided to turn exclusively into constructions made virtual.

After an appearance in Mark magazine, Philipp Schaerer was recently pointed out by Metropolis as one of “three European photographers” to follow up.

I remember an Autocad tutor I had years ago, who wanted only to build 3D virtual spaces and nothing else. She vehemently stated that she had no interest in the physical world, at least when it came to bricks and mortar… (Also she kind of hated architecture.)

Those were the pioneer times of exploring textures and non-gravity and the apparent freedom of the proto-SecondLifes of today. Which turned to be also quite boring and uninspiring – as you can see through the architectural quality of most virtual worlds and gaming visuals available today.

Indeed, now it is again super-realism that interests us, and Schaerer’s buildings end up being quite interesting, not because they are escapist or unrealistic, but merely because they are… possible.

Like film once called for a notion of “suspension of disbelief”, also these images call for a knowing belief in their own narrative fiction – and that fiction somehow betrays a subtext of transparent architectural aspirations.

If not mediated by some sort of photographic aura, these images could easily be mistaken for the next piece of puzzling architecture hitting any of our given Arch Dailies… And that only tells us of Schaerer’s quality… as an architect.