Monopoli Gallery, Montreal, Quebec

The exercise transposes the well-know game, Monopoly, into the Montreal reality with 22 original interpretations of “houses” from 22 firms; the exhibition questions the place of architecture in the world of the residential real estate market.

The delimitation of personal space in physical form establishes the interrelation of self and other, interior and exterior, family and community, nature and culture. Dwelling is not a solitary act: it is a social one. Like a face, housing is the representation of self and the intermediary in interpersonal relationships. A house is a portrait of the occupant – either the mask, the image of self or the third skin. The face can be masculine or feminine, extroverted or introverted. This anthropomorphism invites us to transgress the limits of the face to enter into the intimate realm of the interior where the notion of difference is circumvented and dissolved. Masculine and feminine combine; birth, life and death are played out. The act of staying is alive, changing; it demands care (maintenance), love. Roots are established, hope rises from the maculate ground of home, an exuberant green canopy shelters and teases the air with possibilities. Grow green architecture! If housing is the image of self, its value is very personal, hence invaluable. But this face cannot exist without being put forward by its context: the image of self must be acknowledged by the other, and the architect is the intermediary of the dialogue. The architecture of the face is little affected by style: a well-fitted dwelling resists the tyrannies of fashion. Its true value is elucidated by intent and tested by time: its value is only confirmed with its durability and viability.

Publications

'Architects get whack at being wacky', The Gazette, February 2 2002