Blog #2: Frank Gehry

Hotel Marqués de Riscal, Spain

Frank Gehry is one of those particular artists/architect where I'm actually quite familiar with his work but not the man behind it. He was particularly relevant to the above excercise in that he derives much of his structural shapes from...dun dun DUN...paper. Or at least his designs bear a remarkable resemblance of such materials. And like my sketches, that's all I see when I look at most of his buildings. So my mind was put a bit at ease in that department. I took one of my sketches, added a door, and voila: L'Hotel Du Papier.

Anyway, a bit about the guy. He was born Frank Owen Goldberg in Canada (Changed his named during his first marriage). He gained initial recognition for his private residence in Santa Monica, CA. Since then, he's been labeled everything from "paper architect", a "starchitect" (oi), to the "most important architect of our age". His architectural style, falling into Deconstructivism, has been said to be similar to funk or transcending modernism.

Dog Bark Park, Idaho

Basically he designs buildings in forms or shapes one wouldn't normally think to use. Some see this as innovative while others have criticized the lack of practical functionality in his work and the space and materials lost to his indulgent designs. I partially agree with this. In my hometown of Cottonwood, ID we are known for The Giant Beagle, a bed n' breakfast in the shape of...a large dog. While the idea is fun, it makes for an awkward placement of rooms and space.

L'Hotel Du Papier

So what do we learn from this man? To break through the confines of accepted norms and conformity and to search for inspiration in the most unlikely of places.