Project 02B Model and Scale
FREDERICK KIESLER ‘ENDLESS HOUSE’
Technique: A SINGLE MATERIAL THAT ALLOWS FOR EXTREME
GEOMETRIES.
Frederick Kiesler was an Austrian-American artist and architect. He experimented with the textures of different spaces and surfaces. The buildings he designed had ample space, allowing for quick movement with flexibility. Kiesler was especially concerned with connecting several rooms together. His purpose of ‘Endless House’
was potentially to describe how humans behave and interact with certain areas of a house.
Choice of Material: Wire, Paper, Clay
Shapes & Volumes
- Circular models with walls that are anything
but straight.
- Folded and molded to create a natural flow
free of rigidity.
Structure & Arrangement (analysis)
This view depicts the sketched circular shapes and their process
of development along stages. Kiesler intentionally planned for
open space within the building, emphasizing interconnectedness.
The glide from room to room looks to be ‘endless’ due to its lack of clear corners.
Sketching some inspiration...
Studio EXPERIMENTATION...
1st iteration
2nd iteration
3rd iteration
Finalized Model
From this project, my goal has been to study Frederick Kiesler’s ‘Endless House’; an impressive model of a house that was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in 1959. I believe it revealed some of his surrealistic visions as he essentially designed a human occupancy that responds to dreams as well as capture reality and
imagination. Unlike the nineteenth century’s idea that residents are passive observers, Kiesler wanted to inform people about their habits and perceptions. The Frederick Kiesler Foundation explores his heritage, making it possible to perform further analysis on his work. The floors of his house appear as though they are united with
the walls and ceilings, having ‘furniture’ being composed of the same material as the skin of his house (N., 2021). Endlessness is the removal of borders between different spaces, outside and inside, strangers and residents.
PERSONAL EVALUATION
My strategy for model making was primarily paper art, thanks to my enthusiasm for Origami as a child. I made a mini sculpture using the wet fold technique. I used 190gsm watercolor paper. In the experiments, however, I actually started with Bockingford, which is softer to work with. It makes the surface look good, and the creases do not vanish right away as there is less elasticity in the material. The paper can be manipulated through a fine spray that moistens it slightly but this can be tricky because it can curl quickly. I also used Archival PVA glue to keep it intact. My piece holds a 3D form; its folded layers add texture significantly, similar to Kiesler’s, whose quote has influenced me since I first read it: “endless like the human body”. It rests on a walnut plinth that is 10cm x 10 cm. In the final result, I managed to give my model the appearance of a portal-like opening/closing or even a certain type of flower. It is welcomely up for interpretation. But just like Kiesler’s house, I see it as an ongoing loop or a Möbius strip type of circulation. With that in mind, my version makes me think of the notion that nothing is lost, only transformed. Imagining how people can get sucked into ruts that initially seem beautiful and inviting yet prove to be evil towards the end.
References
Kiesler, Frederick, Endless House Models (1926 to 1950).
N. (2021, July 4). Austrian Frederick and Lillian Kiesler Private Foundation. Kiesler. https://www.kiesler.org/en/