Chicago architecture II

Frank Lloyd Wright

No visit to Chicago is complete without seeing some Frank Lloyd Wright. America's greatest architect started his career in nearby Oak Park, and his buildings are scattered throughout the city. The most famous of these is probably Robie House, located near the University of Chicago campus in Hyde Park.

But I had already visited Robie House on a previous visit to Chicago, so this time we went to his house and studio in Oak Park. Oak Park is conveniently located on the 'L'- we discovered that the Chicago transit system is a really easy way to visit the city - no more getting stuck in traffic and paying astronomical parking fees for us!

Walking out to the house, we made a game of 'spot the Frank Lloyd Wright'. Oak Park was the site of his first architectural studio, and has the largest collection of his buildings in the world, with 25 structures built between 1889 and 1913. There are other buildings that, although probably not designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, have been inspired by his 'Prairie Style'. Here were some of our favourites:

Got to be Frank Lloyd Wright

Possibly Frank Lloyd Wright

Prairie Style on steroids

Prairie Style on hallucinogens

The Frank Lloyd Wright house and studio tour was a revelation - as we went through the house and studio we saw his style transform and develop before our eyes. The house is basically a Victorian style with some Frank Lloyd Wright additions. The studio, which was added on later, presents his full-blown style.

One of my favourite features in the house was the cosy hearth nook. This small space, off the front parlor, was opened up by punching through windows above the seats, and by placing a mirror above the hearth. The mirror was arranged in such a way that you could not see people in the room reflected in it, so it looked like another window.

Hearth nook used for private meetings

But my favourite room of all was the children's room, with its Egypt-inspired mural

and barrel vaulted ceiling with intricately hand-carved ceiling decoration.

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Lucky Wright children! Well, apart from the later family scandals. Although undoubtedly a genius, Frank Lloyd Wright was obviously no saint.

Chicago architecture

We usually visit my family in the US at Christmas, but this year is my parents' 50th anniversary, so we took a trip in Autumn instead. September is a much better time to visit the Midwest, and since we were flying into Chicago, we decided to take advantage of the good weather to spend a few days in the windy city.

I've already done most of the museums, so this time we decided to try out the Chicago Architecture Foundation river cruise. It is a little pricey, but the 90 minute tour is well worth the cost - we learned all about the growth of the city and the different architectural styles used over the years.

The great Chicago fire in 1871 destroyed much of the city, so the architecture is not particularly old, but there are plenty of original, iconic buildings. I always associate the city with the style our tour guide called "chairs for the jolly green giant." A city ordinance required buildings to incorporate setback on higher stories to permit more light reaching the ground. This resulted in buildings with higher sides (the arms) and a setback tower (the back), which do look vaguely like stretched out giant armchairs.

Civic opera building, 1929

But I must admit to being fond of more contemporary architecture styles, especially the ones using rounded, organic shapes. The best example is the double round towers of Marina city. For once a parking garage is actually attractive (though one wonders if the cars really need such a great view).

Marina city, 1959-64

An impressive recent contribution to the skyline is Aqua, by a female architect, Jeanne Gang. Aqua is a conventional rectangular shaped skyscraper with an unconventional facade. Curved balconies are placed at irregular intervals throughout, creating the impression of cascades of water. The curves dissipate the wind, so the balconies can be placed all the way up to the top. Aqua is a visually stimulating addition to the usual boring glass skyscraper.

Aqua among neighbors 

Aqua in her full glory  (completed 2010)

And of course, when viewing Chicago architecture, one mustn't miss Frank Lloyd Wright, America's most famous architect. Never fear, we visited Oak Park right after our architecture cruise. More on that later....

On being art

We went to see the new installation in the Tate Modern Turbine Hall this past weekend. It was a new work created by Tino Seghal for the Unilever series.

I say 'installation' and 'work', but I don't really know what to call it. It's more specifically a piece of performance art, but one in which we, the gallery visitors, are part of the performance.

Gallery visitors are incidental performers. There is also a group of volunteers moving about the hall in choreographed actions - sometimes walking, sometimes running, sometimes sitting.

Running through the Turbine hall

And visitors can join the group, where they may be quietly approached by a volunteer and engaged in conversation.

Walking and talking with strangers

I spent about an hour moving with the group and chatting with the volunteers - we talked about various subjects: our experience of reading as a child, what impact names can have, the importance of ritual.

The conversations were pleasant and thought provoking, but the most interesting thing about the experience was how it made me look differently at the people around me.

You couldn't be sure at a glance which people in the Turbine hall were part of the group. Sometimes the volunteers who were engaged in conversation did not follow along with the activities of the larger group - in conversation, they could be any other visitors to the museum.

And as for the museum visitors, even if they were not intentionally taking part in the choreographed movements of the group, they were still part of the work, in a way, because they were interacting with the group - circling them, passing through them, or standing watching. So the group consumed everyone in the hall, and you ended up wondering if everyone was part of the work.

Who is art?

When we moved on to other rooms in the museum, the experience still lingered. I had this uncanny feeling that all the people throughout the museum were interacting on a deeper level. I somehow felt that we were part of a choreographed dance, like the people in the Turbine hall, and that at any moment we might intersect and start talking about profound and personal things.

We ended our visit downstairs in the Tanks, Tate Modern's newly opened dark, industrial gallery space - perfect for watching (and interacting with) video installations. And there we saw someone dancing in the light cast by a video installation, her shadow drifting with the video images on the wall, and it was the perfect end to this experience of being art.

Shadows on the wall