Eric Owen Moss introduces Neil Denari.
Denari states that his aim is to explain rather than to entertain, and, in coming clean, propose an argument for the work. He discusses the impact of Wim Crouwel, the graphic designer, and director Michelangelo Antonioni on his work, both achieving results beyond those required by the given conditions. Denari expresses kinship with Crouwel’s and Antonioni’s attempts at playing with the balance of truths and logics. Denari continues with a presentation of an exhibition space in Tokyo that created regions through the manipulation of a single surface. He concludes this segment with information about an unbuilt house which he describes as fitting his intention that each project be about a specific place and about every place at once.
Denari discusses an unbuilt work for the Millennium Party in Avignon, France which focused on the games of chess and go. Denari’s project delved into a philosophical comparison of the two games. Next, he presents his L.A. Eyeworks store, its special programmatic requirements, and his attempts to integrate new program through the design of furniture elements. Lastly, he describes his design for a Tokyo hotel which dealt primarily with the idea of atrium space, a luxury usually not possible due to the expense of Tokyo real estate.
Denari concludes his lecture with a description of a residential project in New York and a museum in Japan. He explains the residential project as primarily an envelope design that involves pattern and repetition that toys with but ultimately avoids narrative. Denari’s project for a museum in a heavily forested region in Japan integrates movement and pathways at multiple scales integrated with zones of a winter garden. This museum is intended to house the work of paralyzed gymnast turned painter and poet, Tomihiro Hoshino.
