24-09-2013

PAROLE. 2013 Swiss Awards for Bureau A.

abstract

A project that explores ethics and aesthetics and their relationship with architecture has won the federal competition for architecture in the 2013 Swiss Art Awards, rewarding the work of Bureau A, that Livegreenblog has already discussed in the past.

A partial representation of Geneva’s prison, Champ-Dollon, scaled to the ratio of for laboratory mice at 1:24, ignites debate regarding the role of architecture not merely as a commissioned building, but also as a way of raising awareness of politically charged issues, like correctional facilities.

The sculpture proposed by the design team at Geneva-based practice, Bureau A follows the tradition of architectural sculptures as formal experiments, in order to physically show how architecture is involved in the social and political issues relating to every period.

PAROLE is more than an architectural model it’s a symbol and even scaled to a ratio of 1:24, this mouse cage is not just a metaphorical prison, it actually addresses things like overcrowding and confinement in the Champ-Dollon facility. A visual exercise to explain the significance and perception of a prison that has reached its maximum occupancy.

So, it outlines the image of an alarming social situation, all thanks to an art installation that engages observers by pushing their emotional boundaries.