The circle has a centre that can be intuited, even if not explicitly shown. The centre serves as the point from which forces emanate and towards which forces converge. Although the circle is often regarded in architecture as a democratic figure, its self-contained nature allows for no designated entry point. The centre, acting as a point of retention and attraction, serves as the anchor for everything within the circle, yet it also places everything else in a non-central position. The circle embodies the ambivalence of both inclusion and exclusion, representing togetherness and separation from others.
During a trip to Naploes, I examined the spatial organization in Aldo Loris Rossi's architecture through drawings. The spaces in the Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore result from the interplay between circles, whereas at the Casa del Portuale, the circle's ambivalent character is emphasized, giving it a surveillance aspect through cutout windows. This surveillance character is prominent in multiple of Aldo Loris Rossi's buildings. Surveillance is also very present all around the city of Naples.
Through collages made from photos of Aldo Loris Rossi's buildings, I aimed to reinforce the centre as the structural point holding the forms together, contrasting the self-enclosed and surveillant nature of the form with the openness of the half-circle. The aspect of surveillance is accentuated by stacking disc-like forms that are sometimes closed and sometimes peeping out. In contrast, the open circles are inclusive and inviting, representing different directions and embracing the surrounding space, inviting the observer to engage with a form that gazes back.
Aldo Loris Rossi's interest in Italian futurism metaphorically manifests in this gazing form, which, amidst the frozen movement of all the other volumes, gazes into the horizon, maybe in a wish for change in the historically charged and perpetually endangered architectural environment of Naples.
Studio Winter Semester 19/20
Supervised by Prof. Sybil Kohl, M. Sc. Arch. Pirmin Wollensak
IDG - Institut für Darstellen und Gestalten
University of Stuttgart