אדריכלות ישראלית - גיליון 121

2020 מאי 121 אדריכלות ישראלית | קטגוריית מחקר - 2020 תחרות פרויקט השנה 103 | riot glass - creation and resistance-based criticism Avner Pinchover An installation on the roof promenade of Haifa University shows a man throwing stones at a glass wall. At a certain point the glass shatters, signifying the man’s reaction of a mixed sense of satisfaction and despair, seen through the eyes of the artist, Avner Pinchover, as a composition of destructive beauty. The argument concerning the relative part art plays in architecture is as ancient as the existence of philosophy. So much so, that over the years a confusing blur has been created between the two disciplines that contain each other. Based on the creation of a visual illusion, Architect Avner Pinchover’s research aims to evoke emotional, sensory and physical sensations. His starting point is that art and architecture allow a reciprocal, critical stand towards each other. In this context, the relationship between creator and user is frequently compared to that between artist and audience, even when neither part is necessarily clear. Pinchover’s work encourages criticism of the enormous power inherent in architecture both on material and symbolic levels, whether for or against it. The shielded glass he uses in his Riot Glass installation, presents durability on one hand and weakness when collapsing. His work reminds the spectator that the most fortified walls are likely to be fragile, transparent or reflective, impermeable or brittle. Raising awareness of this architectural quality invites anyone to reflect on the parallel between the impact of architecture’s silent power over man and the counter-forces that man – living and moving – might exert in return. The inspiration for this point of view lay in the "yellow vest" protests that took place in France, whereby most of the protesting force was turned against the architectural environment: store windows, railings, traffic lights, victory gates, drain covers, construction site fences. As far as they were concerned, architecture constituted a cultural symbol and, therefore, also a means to resist oppressive social- political-economic power. * Riot Glass was originally designed for "Traces VII – Action Line", presented at the seventh National Biennale for drawing, Artists House, Jerusalem (curator: Hadas Maor).