Though the lovely, but not-so-modern Modernism of Neutra and Eames is all the rage with design junkies, progressive architects have left midcentury Modernism’s rocket-ship optimism behind in favor of the uncharted, digital 21st century. Come see how leading-edge architects are harnessing video, sound, LED light banks and computer chips this month when the Sheldon Art Galleries opens InterActive: New Technologies in Contemporary Architecture on October 3. Curator Jasmin Aber of SCiRN (UC Berkeley’s Institute of Urban Design and Regional Development & Center for Global Metropolitan Studies) presents visionary work from firms like Berlin’s ART+COM, London’s Greyworld, Brooklyn’s Giostra and Partners, France’s Experientiae Electricae and Brussels’ LAb[au] Laboratory for Architecture and Urbanism, all of which are pushing architecture far beyond Tomorrowland with structures that emphasize immediacy, interactivity and nonlinearity. Note these are not mere “smart houses,” but examples of kinetic architecture, where buildings shrink, grow or become more permeable to oxygen depending on what’s occurring in the environment; they also mimic the soft, organic lines of the natural world rather than the space-age angles of the 1950s. A rare frontline view for St. Louis of the emerging cultural zeitgeist and a no-miss show, especially for those engaged with architecture, urbanism and the built environment.
Runs through January 24; opening reception October 3 from 5 to 7 p.m. Bernoudy Gallery of Architecture, Sheldon Art Galleries, 3648 Washington, 314-533-9900, sheldonconcerthall.org/galleries.asp. Times: noon–8 p.m. Tue & Thu, noon–5 p.m. Wed & Fri, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Sat.
