The Architecture Chronicle

Diary of an Architectural Practice

Jan Kattein

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN:
  9781409451860
• eBook ISBN:
  9781351894678
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: Architecture General

During the last 30 years, technological, social, economic and environmental changes have brought about the most dramatic evolution to architectural practice that has taken place since the profession emerged during the Italian Renaissance. Whilst these changes have transformed the way architects work, few contemporary books discuss architectural practice. The Architecture Chronicle sets out to define the role of the contemporary architect in the light of these changes. Most books on architecture start when a building is complete, carefully editing out any evidence of the design and production process. The Architecture Chronicle engages with the design and production process. It investigates how and by whom design decisions are made and executed. Chapter 1 is a diary reporting on the design and realisation of five stage sets and one urban intervention over a period of four years, starting on 16 December 2003. The diary is intercepted by references that are, where appropriate, carefully integrated in the overall narrative. Chapter 2 reflects on the diary to discover patterns and cross-references and to draw conclusions. The contemporary architect can be defined as three distinct characters. The architect-inventor challenges conventions and questions the social status quo. The architect-activist transgresses the boundary of the profession and enters the construction process. The architect-arbitrator engages the audience to realise the ambitious project. The Architecture Chronicle concludes that the contemporary architect still draws and writes, but that it is often the architect's ability to engage and direct that asserts his or her status. To assert his or her status in the design team, the architect's ability to talk and to act is more important than his or her ability to draw and write.

DIARY OF AN ARCHITECT

1.1 Collection of tools of the architect-activist. The tools that I took to Munich were chosen for their versatility. Most of these can be used for more than one purpose: (a) electrical screwdrivers; (b) disc with essential computer programmes comprising photo-editing, desktop publishing and CAD software; (c) self-made, large-radius compass – particularly useful for 1:1 drawings; (d) well-used scraper – a scraper’s edge sharpens with age and the initially sharp corners are worn round; (e) universal hammer; (f) pipe wrench; (g) junior hacksaw for small engineering jobs – in spite of technological innovation the best quality engineering is still done by hand; (h) combination pliers for cutting, holding, tightening and loosening; (i) long-nose pliers; (j) technical drafting pens with 0.18mm, 0.25mm and 0.5mm thick nibs; (k) precision pencil sharpener; (l) rubber with narrow end for detailed erasing; (m) precision drafting pencils with medium and hard leads; (n) precision compass with attachment for pens or pencils; (o) handy-sized Leatherman multi-tool with saw, screwdrivers, knives, drills and file – particularly useful on scavenging trips; (p) Stanley knife for rough cuts and cutting thick materials; (q) medical scalpel for precision cutting; (r) multi-purpose scissors for heavy duty cutting with screwdriver attachment and bottle opener; (s) precise paper scissors; (t) 5m measuring tape; (u) metal ruler for use as cutting edge; (v) scale ruler; (w) combination set square and protractor; (x) transluscent adhesive tape; (y) drafting ink; (z) universal glue for a variety of materials

FRIDAY 12 DECEMBER 2003

Today I fly to Munich. I have packed my tools and drawing equipment, a model is travelling with me, safely stowed in a wooden box. There are also samples of wood panelling and carpet and some acetate templates for printing wallpaper. I have been commissioned to design a stage-set for a production in the Prinzregententheatre in Munich for a total fee of €300. My sister is the director. I will be staying on the floor of her flat and spending every day for the next two months working on the construction of the set.

KABALE UND LIEBE

Kabale und Liebe (Intrigue and Love) by Johann Christoph Friedrich Schiller is a German theatre classic, first premiered in Frankfurt on 13 April 1784 – exactly 219 years and 10 months prior to our premiere. The title of the play well defines its contents. The narrative tells the love story of Ferdinand and Luise whose families do not allow them to be together because of their class differences. Ferdinand is the son of the president and Luise the daughter of a musician. Instead, their fathers have other plans for their children whom they want to see married to suitors of their choice for their own political benefit. This results in a network of intrigues that are spun to force the lovers apart.

Kabale und Liebe was a great success in Berlin but banned in Stuttgart, because it was considered an affront to the aristocracy. To this day, the German south has remained more conservative than the liberal north and audiences, particularly those in conservative Munich, have very particular expectations of Kabale und Liebe.

Around 120 years after the premiere of Kabale und Liebe, the aristocracy lost its power to the parliament of the Weimar Republic. Divisions in contemporary German society are the result of different standards of education, immigration status or whether an individual originates from the formerly communist eastern part of the country or the capitalist west. The danger of using the traditional class system to define disadvantaged groups in today’s society is the historicisation of social inequalities. Using the antiquated class system in this context can eclipse the real and much more complex and fragile relationships in society. Our interest in Kabale und Liebe lies in the subliminal social relationships between the characters: no reference is made to the class system. As a result, the characters in our production are made responsible for their own actions rather than becoming victims of a system that they do not control. Our production is set in a house-share instead of a palace and an artisan’s cottage (the original context).

Two types of text constitute Schiller’s drama: dialogues and stage directions. The dialogues are to be performed on stage, the stage directions are designed to be mute, to give instructions to the stage designer and director in relation to the spatial setting of the play. Scene 1 starts with the following direction: ‘Zimmer beim Musikus. Miller steht eben vom Sessel auf, und stellt sein Violonzell auf die Seite. An einem Tisch sitzt Frau Millerin noch im Nachtgewandt, und trinkt ihren Kaffee’ (Room at the music master’s. Miller is just getting up from his seat and places his violoncello aside. On the table Mrs Miller is sitting in her night gown and is drinking her coffee) (Schiller 1784). The stage direction for scene 1 does not use a single adjective. The frankness of the spatial description of the setting stands in stark contrast to the opulent dialogue. Schiller was aware of his audience for each type of text. Stage directions provide a brief to inspire the stage designer’s imagination. Dialogue is directly communicated to the audience.

Altering the dialogue, even in its smallest detail, is considered an intervention in a work of art. However, to keep a performance within an acceptable time frame, it is sometimes necessary, and this is done with uttermost care by the director in consultation with the dramatic advisor. Alteration normally takes on the form of omission. Adding dialogue, changing the wording or amending the context of dialogue has implications for the integrity of the piece. Taking a creative reading of a stage direction is considered artistic freedom. In fact, taking stage directions too literally may be considered a failure by the directing team to make an interpretative reading of the play.

Schiller would have been intimately aware of this distinction of purpose between the two types of text in his work. His poetic efforts would have been focused on the dialogue. This manifests itself in the language used. The dialogue allows the audience access to the character’s innermost feelings, to assess their believability and to judge their truthfulness. The extended meaning given to the dialogue through metaphors and associations makes them a spatial manifestation of the interrelations between the characters and the intrigues that are spun between them. In contrast, the stage directions in the original Kabale und Liebe are flat and factual. Whereas the characters are brought to life by the dialogues that Schiller has given them, the spaces or situations that Schiller describes in his stage directions are lifeless until animated by the design team that has been charged with staging the production.

1.2 Cover page of the first edition of Kabale & Liebe by Friedrich Schiller. The play is classified as a Bürgerliches Trauerspiel (popular drama). It was banned in some parts of Germany because it was considered to be too critical of the aristocracy. The play became extremely popular in other parts of the country. Audience reaction is a useful gauge for the success of a work. Success is not solely a matter of universal praise, controversy amongst the audience is an indicator of critical engagement. A good work will be hated by some and loved by others. It is a poor work that is often treated with indifference

1.3 Front Cover of Goldman paperback edition of Kabale und Liebe with photograph by Felicitas Timpe showing actors Jan Niklas und Dietlinde Turban in a TV adaptation of the drama. The historicizing 1996 Goldman cover gives an indication of the Munich audience’s past exposure to Kabale und Liebe and hence their presumptions about the nature of our production

1.4 Photograph of Kabale und Liebe model stage-set with illuminated refrigerator. The theatricality of the refrigerator light in the model that switched on when the tiny door was opened enticed the actors to adopt the stage-set proposal. Their trust in the architect was founded upon his ability to deliver a stage-set that communicated a sense of magic even at its reduced scale

1.5 Colour sample of carpet tiles from the Kabale und Liebe model. The sample is dyed using hand-mixed acrylic paint to achieve the exact colour required

MONDAY 15 DECEMBER 2003

The concept rehearsal starts at 10 am in the music library of the Prinzregententheatre. Sitting around a meeting table are Anna Malunat, director; Jan Kattein, stage designer; Katja Kranich, costume designer; Katrin Dollinger, dramatic advisor; Anna Bell, stage design assistant; and the actors playing Ferdinand, Luise, Miller, Wurm, Lady Milford, the President and Victoria. In the centre of the table is my stage-set model that I brought from London. Anna Malunat introduces the group, she is the only one who has met everyone before. Then the rehearsal starts with Anna Malunat explaining the synopsis of the play and our staging concept. Afterwards, she hands over to me to explain the design.

In the centre of the stage is the common room with a refrigerator, a sofa and a lamp, a clock and a coffee maker; on the left is a carpeted ramp from where doors lead to the characters’ own rooms. The entirety is surrounded by walls that extend deep into the auditorium. The wall on the right is designed with an incline overhanging the stage and the front rows of seats in the auditorium. When built, the top of this wall will taper down to 5.3m where it meets the rear wall, this continues around to the left of the stage extending to the rear wall of the auditorium. Skirting board will be affixed to the walls at a height of 1.6m. In the model, the walls below the skirting board are stained brown with the wood grain showing through. A satin lacquer is applied on top to give a sheen to the stained surface. Above the skirting board the walls are wallpapered. The refrigerator in the model is made from copper plate. The door opens on...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1 Diary of an Architect
• 2 The Characters of the Architect
• Bibliography
• Index