Being There

The exhibition examines Arthur Erickson’s exchanges with people, places, landscapes, buildings, rituals, and ideas during his early travels in Europe and North Africa between 1950 and 1952, and in Asia in 1961. Drawing on a prescient understanding of site and environment, Erickson was convinced that architecture must be experienced to be understood. He knew that travel and the privilege of being present in different places would be a lifelong preoccupation and crucial to his continuing growth as an architect and thinker.

Presented as a geographical and thematic reading, the exhibition is structured around two collections: Erickson’s letters to his family, teachers, colleagues, and friends; and photographs. Central to the exhibition is his correspondence from the 1961 trip to Japan, Cambodia, and Indonesia, which includes a series of letters to Gordon Webber, his former teacher and mentor.

While Erickson’s physical presence in a place was crucial for him to comprehend the essence of a site and a building, photography and writing were forms of site annotations in his architectural practice. The photographs and letters produced during his travels constitute a vivid narrative of his experiences and itineraries and reveal discoveries and insights that reappeared in his architectural work, public presentations, and writings, contributing to a broader understanding of his architectural journey.

Being There is part of a longer, ongoing investigation at the CCA into the use of photography and new media as a means of studying the built environment. This new chapter explores how travel photography acts as a mode of note-taking and thinking in design practice.