Kunstmuseum Olten
Jun 1–Aug 25, 2024

Begin Again. Fail Better

Preliminary drawings in architecture (and art)
Charles Percier, Projet d’un Muséum Idéal (Detail), 1796. Feder, laviert, auf Papier © Drawing Matter Collections, Somerset UK
Address
Kirchgasse 8, 04600 Olten
Hours
Tue–Fri 12 am–5 pm Sat–Sun 10 am–5 pm
Website
kunstmuseumolten.ch
E-Mail
info@kunstmuseumolten.ch

‘Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better…’.

Based on Samuel Beckett‘s famous quote, the Kunstmuseum Olten is opening an exhibition dedicated to the preliminary (hand-) drawings of architects, a subject that is equally important for both architecture and the visual arts.

The project, created in collaboration with Manuel Montenegro (PT), Helen Thomas (GB) and Marco Bakker (NL/CH), presents drawings or sketches that manifest initial spatial thoughts and structure ideas for architectural design.

Hand drawing takes center stage because, as the lingua franca of the discipline, it is a source of inspiration or serves to playfully find images, is a distillation of thoughts, functions as a repository of ideas and opens up paths to self-exploration. It helps to reflect personal themes and becomes a field of experimentation for thinking about architecture in practice and architecture as art.