This cloudy and rainy day I visited the 'Institute du Monde Arabe' and the mobile art pavilion designed by Zaha Hadid. Before being placed infront of the famous fasade of the IMA, the mobile have been an exhibition space for Chanel and the art inspired by the label. The mobile which has the appearance of a giant shell is now hosting Hadid's numerous prototypes and models over future as well as present architectural projects.
Going up the ramp that lead to the entrance, which was soaked with last night's heavy rainfall, one is introduced to the fantastical interior. The whole space feels heavily futuristic and there is no straight lines, all fluid with curves. A kind of thick spider's web, made in machine-cut resin, cover some of the rounded walls. On it, several projections of prospective projects of skyscraper design are visible. Further a beautiful group of Alessi manifactured vases is exhibited, beside there are plans over how different forms of arhitecture can be organized through Hadid's specific aesthetic. Then the visitor is lead to a bigger room that host several skyscraper models standing on the ground. According to the guide, the skyscraper is the future of the architecture in the city and elsewhere because of its many practical features.
Back in 2008, when Chanel ordered this mobile for its art collection to travel from continent to continent, the concept felt very new and interesting. Now when it is concentrated to only Hadid's work, the overall feeling is overwhelmingly futuristic and the connection to the reality slightly distant. I think that Hadid's work is very interesting and ambitious, she is also an arabic woman, born in Baghdad, working in a very male dominated business. Solely for that she should be prised, but her work is at its best in small format i.e. the Alessi vases and 3D-printed prototypes. Inside the mobile, the exhibition space felt too crowded, despite its 700 m2. Can something ever replace a white box? I'm still convinced that the Saatchi Gallery in London is the world's best exhibition place.
When something is moved very far from the norm and given a very specific or futuristic look, it often looses the connection to our life in general. What does this strange yet imaginative arhitecture mean in our society? Is it practical or just cool forms? Working from her base London, many of Hadid's most daring projects haven't seen the light of the day. And today, if you look down on the black floor, the rain made its entrance too.
