I originally did think of sculpture but I suppose I wrote it off too quickly because of scale.
I'll try to revisit it. But I'm imagining that follies are a little big bigger in terms of scale. I guess you might consider it landscape art instead of yard art?
Distant Unicorn
Nov 7, 09 11:14 pm
Oh, Seattle Sculpture Park has some good things... Schubert Sonata, 1992, Painted and unpainted steel, Mark di Suvero is big enough in terms of scale.
I think the other reason why I'm discounting sculpture is that it is not entirely purposeless and it's typically not a structure in an architectural sense.
But I appreciate it!
trace™
Nov 7, 09 11:31 pm
Look at cabins, some decent stuff out there at a very small scale.
I always found Coop Himmelblau's rooftop conference room inspiring, even before I knew it had a purpose.
Vitra's campus is another one. Actual buildings, but more or less their purpose was to themselves. When I visited Hadid's fire station, it was more or less completely vacant, as was Ando's building.
randomized
Nov 8, 09 5:03 am
Thames & Hudson has a really nice series of books called XS, XS green, XS extreme.
jplourde
Nov 8, 09 12:01 pm
under your definition of 'purposely-built purposeless structures' doesnt that include every single pavilion ever built?
or do pavilions serve the 'purpose' of architectural experimentation and cultural propaganda, and therefore may be ruled out?
which leaves a darth of examples, in my opinion.
i think yre on to something, orochi, when you say that if its purposefully built to be purposeless, then it is really sculpture, no?
in that sense, wouldnt Robert Smithson, Olafur Eliason, Vito Acconci or Richard Serra be fine examples?
IamGray
Nov 8, 09 12:23 pm
Not sure if their work falls into your definition of 'purposeless', but I immediately thought of ezxyt in Paris.
Or what about contemporary architectural installations such as those for PS1, the AA's DRL, or something like LAVA's green void in Sydney?
mantaray
Nov 8, 09 5:05 pm
right, and the Serpentine pavilions, and the current UN Studio & Hadid pavilions in Millennium park...
SDR
Nov 8, 09 11:30 pm
The quintessential modern folly has to be that little arcuated temple -- a "pavilion," yes -- that Philip Johnson dropped into a pond below his Glass House, in 1962. It was followed in the 'eighties by another purposeless construction, the chain-link Gehry Ghost House, and by a library-study and, finally, a visitor center, both small buildings in the (idealized) landscape.
binary
Nov 9, 09 12:16 am
any project that uses aluminum and paints it silver
IamGray
Nov 9, 09 5:26 am
Brian MacKay Lyon's Ghost-Lab projects in Nova-Scotia? Again, some are more purposeless than others...
usernametaken
Nov 9, 09 6:36 am
what about the cloud gate by anish kapoor?
db
Nov 9, 09 7:58 am
Jefferson NAtional Expansion Memorial
aka The Gateway Arch by Eero Saarinen
SDR
Nov 9, 09 11:57 am
Penguin Dictionary of Architecture, 1966 (Fleming, Honour, Pevsner):
"Folly -- A costly but useless structure built to satisfy the whim of some eccentric and thought to show his folly; usually a tower or a sham Gothic or classical ruin in a landscape park intended to enhance the view or picturesque effect."
Distant Unicorn
Nov 9, 09 2:57 pm
Thank you, SDR.
I'm kind of at a loss for words that such a popular (and weird) architectural trend has just died off.
Those three examples were exactly what I was looking for... particularly the submerged house and the house made of chainlink.
Perhaps the trend died off because of the modern belief that everything must be useful and profitable?
Distant Unicorn
Nov 9, 09 3:03 pm
Well, I'm just about finished on with my formal jadrin.
I will post a render when I get around to it.
chicagoarchitect
Nov 9, 09 4:36 pm
Charles Moore's fountain square in New Orleans. RIP.
SDR
Nov 9, 09 5:35 pm
It is my contention that aspiring architects should practice some of their skills and arts on small constructions: Bird houses, tree houses, dog houses, play houses, gazebos, bandstands, doll houses, and garden sheds. Any of these could be called "working follies". . .couldn't they ?
snook_dude
Nov 9, 09 5:44 pm
ATT building NYC....Phillip Johnson.....and I forgot his whole compound in New Cannan....oh I should go ahead and say it his whole body of work....he was basicly a Whore......
snook_dude
Nov 9, 09 5:44 pm
Man Whore that is....!
Distant Unicorn
Nov 9, 09 5:55 pm
Yes. SDR, that is essentially my interest and intention.
Also, the other idea about "purposeless" structures is that most planning and code regulations do not apply to buildings with no occupants. Which means they can go up without worrying about compliance, accessibility, liability or licensing issues.
Pagodas, Tea Houses and Gazebos from my readings are sometimes referred to as follies as are "microchurches." Shrines, chapels and what not designed to house statues, "ideas," or churches that could barebly fit 8 people inside of them.
Some of my ideas are chime towers (carillons and bell towers), giant birdcages, submerged structures, wonky trellises, tree houses, huts, dog houses and orangeries.
SDR
Nov 9, 09 5:59 pm
Exactly. For non-architects like myself this is the way into building, as I see it.
I suppose the annual Serpentine Pavilions are excellent examples of current follies ?
PsyArch
Nov 10, 09 10:03 am
Below I'm listing "pavilions" (some mentioned above), which seems to be the current nom de plume of the follies of old. As SDR above.
Serpentine Pavilion
Royal Festival Hall Pavilions for London Design Festival (recently including Marc Newson, Shigeru Bann, Amanda Levete, Zaha)
Several at the Louisiana Museum in Humlebaek, Denmark including Aldo Rossi, Dominique Perrault
Some of the work of Ivan and Heather Morrison
There's a couple in Charles Jencks garden at Portrack, Scotland
The late Ian Hamilton Finlay has done some/several, including the recent Hortus Conclusus at Little Sparta, and his Temple of Apollo at Jupiter Art Land
Andy Goldworthy's Stone House at Jupiter Art Land
Possible contender is the James Turrell at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
David Adjaye has done several (including one of the RFH as above, and one that was on display at Albion, London)
There's the Chippefield/Gormley pavilion at Kivik, Sweden
Some of Ai Wei Wei's architectural work
The national pavilions at the Giardini of the Venice Biennale don't really count, but you'll find countless others with less function (including a 2007 Ivan and Heather Morrison for Wales) that have appeared there over the years. The house that sank this year at the Arsenale is worth looking at for sharp comment on the folly of american mcbuilding and climate change.
PsyArch
Nov 10, 09 10:05 am
*Shigeru Ban - typo above
Also see the Shigeru Ban pavilion that was at the Triennale site in Milan for teh 2008 salone del mobile (and has since travelled elsewhere)
PsyArch
Nov 10, 09 10:06 am
*argh, typo two: Chipperfield
PsyArch
Nov 10, 09 10:07 am
Also Shigeru Ban's paper tube pavilions
Distant Unicorn
Nov 10, 09 9:38 pm
Jupiter Art Land has some good ones! Thanks!
I'll check it out!
alanterrill
Apr 28, 16 10:14 am
This may be an old thread, but if anyone is still reading, please have alook at the website of The Folly Fellowship and in particular the 'newly built' page:
Does anyone know of any good follies from the 20th and 21st century?
I tried searching around but almost everything I've found has been about white elephants and abandonment.
I'm just wondering if anyone knows of any good purposely-built purposeless structures?
Side note: I'm just doing a series of sketches and models of formal lawns. And I'm looking for modern and contemporary follies for inspiration.
bernard tschumi's parc de la villette - the red constructivist thingys
perhaps look at modern art?
The Hirshhorn had a sculpture exhibit a few years ago:
The Uncertainty of Objects and Ideas: Recent Sculpture It included the work of seven artists; I can only recall one: Franz West.
Try looking at Seatle Olympic Sculpture Park
I originally did think of sculpture but I suppose I wrote it off too quickly because of scale.
I'll try to revisit it. But I'm imagining that follies are a little big bigger in terms of scale. I guess you might consider it landscape art instead of yard art?
Oh, Seattle Sculpture Park has some good things... Schubert Sonata, 1992, Painted and unpainted steel, Mark di Suvero is big enough in terms of scale.
I think the other reason why I'm discounting sculpture is that it is not entirely purposeless and it's typically not a structure in an architectural sense.
But I appreciate it!
Look at cabins, some decent stuff out there at a very small scale.
I always found Coop Himmelblau's rooftop conference room inspiring, even before I knew it had a purpose.
Vitra's campus is another one. Actual buildings, but more or less their purpose was to themselves. When I visited Hadid's fire station, it was more or less completely vacant, as was Ando's building.
Thames & Hudson has a really nice series of books called XS, XS green, XS extreme.
under your definition of 'purposely-built purposeless structures' doesnt that include every single pavilion ever built?
or do pavilions serve the 'purpose' of architectural experimentation and cultural propaganda, and therefore may be ruled out?
which leaves a darth of examples, in my opinion.
i think yre on to something, orochi, when you say that if its purposefully built to be purposeless, then it is really sculpture, no?
in that sense, wouldnt Robert Smithson, Olafur Eliason, Vito Acconci or Richard Serra be fine examples?
Not sure if their work falls into your definition of 'purposeless', but I immediately thought of ezxyt in Paris.
Or what about contemporary architectural installations such as those for PS1, the AA's DRL, or something like LAVA's green void in Sydney?
right, and the Serpentine pavilions, and the current UN Studio & Hadid pavilions in Millennium park...
The quintessential modern folly has to be that little arcuated temple -- a "pavilion," yes -- that Philip Johnson dropped into a pond below his Glass House, in 1962. It was followed in the 'eighties by another purposeless construction, the chain-link Gehry Ghost House, and by a library-study and, finally, a visitor center, both small buildings in the (idealized) landscape.
any project that uses aluminum and paints it silver
Brian MacKay Lyon's Ghost-Lab projects in Nova-Scotia? Again, some are more purposeless than others...
what about the cloud gate by anish kapoor?
Jefferson NAtional Expansion Memorial
aka The Gateway Arch by Eero Saarinen
Penguin Dictionary of Architecture, 1966 (Fleming, Honour, Pevsner):
"Folly -- A costly but useless structure built to satisfy the whim of some eccentric and thought to show his folly; usually a tower or a sham Gothic or classical ruin in a landscape park intended to enhance the view or picturesque effect."
Thank you, SDR.
I'm kind of at a loss for words that such a popular (and weird) architectural trend has just died off.
Those three examples were exactly what I was looking for... particularly the submerged house and the house made of chainlink.
Perhaps the trend died off because of the modern belief that everything must be useful and profitable?
Well, I'm just about finished on with my formal jadrin.
I will post a render when I get around to it.
Charles Moore's fountain square in New Orleans. RIP.
It is my contention that aspiring architects should practice some of their skills and arts on small constructions: Bird houses, tree houses, dog houses, play houses, gazebos, bandstands, doll houses, and garden sheds. Any of these could be called "working follies". . .couldn't they ?
ATT building NYC....Phillip Johnson.....and I forgot his whole compound in New Cannan....oh I should go ahead and say it his whole body of work....he was basicly a Whore......
Man Whore that is....!
Yes. SDR, that is essentially my interest and intention.
Also, the other idea about "purposeless" structures is that most planning and code regulations do not apply to buildings with no occupants. Which means they can go up without worrying about compliance, accessibility, liability or licensing issues.
Pagodas, Tea Houses and Gazebos from my readings are sometimes referred to as follies as are "microchurches." Shrines, chapels and what not designed to house statues, "ideas," or churches that could barebly fit 8 people inside of them.
Some of my ideas are chime towers (carillons and bell towers), giant birdcages, submerged structures, wonky trellises, tree houses, huts, dog houses and orangeries.
Exactly. For non-architects like myself this is the way into building, as I see it.
I suppose the annual Serpentine Pavilions are excellent examples of current follies ?
Below I'm listing "pavilions" (some mentioned above), which seems to be the current nom de plume of the follies of old. As SDR above.
Serpentine Pavilion
Royal Festival Hall Pavilions for London Design Festival (recently including Marc Newson, Shigeru Bann, Amanda Levete, Zaha)
Several at the Louisiana Museum in Humlebaek, Denmark including Aldo Rossi, Dominique Perrault
Some of the work of Ivan and Heather Morrison
There's a couple in Charles Jencks garden at Portrack, Scotland
The late Ian Hamilton Finlay has done some/several, including the recent Hortus Conclusus at Little Sparta, and his Temple of Apollo at Jupiter Art Land
Andy Goldworthy's Stone House at Jupiter Art Land
Possible contender is the James Turrell at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
David Adjaye has done several (including one of the RFH as above, and one that was on display at Albion, London)
There's the Chippefield/Gormley pavilion at Kivik, Sweden
Some of Ai Wei Wei's architectural work
The national pavilions at the Giardini of the Venice Biennale don't really count, but you'll find countless others with less function (including a 2007 Ivan and Heather Morrison for Wales) that have appeared there over the years. The house that sank this year at the Arsenale is worth looking at for sharp comment on the folly of american mcbuilding and climate change.
*Shigeru Ban - typo above
Also see the Shigeru Ban pavilion that was at the Triennale site in Milan for teh 2008 salone del mobile (and has since travelled elsewhere)
*argh, typo two: Chipperfield
Also Shigeru Ban's paper tube pavilions
Jupiter Art Land has some good ones! Thanks!
I'll check it out!
This may be an old thread, but if anyone is still reading, please have alook at the website of The Folly Fellowship and in particular the 'newly built' page:
http://follies.org.uk/newlybuilt.htm
I would nominate the entire Olympic Village at Sochi...
Ooh... and I predict... all the new stadiums being built in Qatar for the world cup... will also be follie.