FAT: museum of copying at the 13th international architecture exhibition image © designboom

 

 

 

venice  2012 architecture biennale: day five – live!

 

a focal installation in the arsenale by UK-based firm FAT, the ‘museum of copying’ at the 13th international architecture exhibition explores the concept of imitation. recreating on of the most internationally replicated building, the villa rotunda in veneto by palladio, the large-scale piece is formed from a single cast which has been turned inside out. the structure addresses the rhetoric of architectural influence and its reduction to a singular concept of copying, but with a richer outcome. although the act of replication threatens the integrity of an author’s original idea, this exploration implicates that existing works can be improved from their original state.

FAT museum of copying designboom expressed façade image © designboom

 

 

 

one quarter of the footprint and building, representing a corner and slice domed villa has been turned into a mold and then filled with plaster. once these two halves were separated, they were placed opposite each other and only touching at the pinnacle of the dome. as visitors wind through the structure, they can see the expressed facade of columns and windows in contrast to the inverted mold which formed them, as well as the textured surface of the poured plaster and external formwork supported with steel framing.

FAT museum of copying designboom two halves are connected at the pinnacle of the dome image © designboom

 

FAT: museum of copying at the 13th international architecture exhibition - 1 expressed facade oriented to façade outwards, and the inverted mold faces inwards image © designboom

 

FAT: museum of copying at the 13th international architecture exhibition - 2 columns are subtracted from the unit and windows are added image © designboom

 

FAT: museum of copying at the 13th international architecture exhibition - 3 recessed columns image © designboom

 

FAT: museum of copying at the 13th international architecture exhibition - 4 added windows image © designboom

 

FAT: museum of copying at the 13th international architecture exhibition - 5 the textured surface of the poured plaster image © designboom

 

FAT: museum of copying at the 13th international architecture exhibition - 6 detail of joint image © designboom

 

FAT: museum of copying at the 13th international architecture exhibition - 7 steel frame supports on the mold remain as part of the installation image © designboom

 

FAT: museum of copying at the 13th international architecture exhibition - 8 view of steel fame and textured poured plaster image © designboom

 

FAT: museum of copying at the 13th international architecture exhibition - 9 detail of steel frame around formwork image © designboom

 

FAT: museum of copying at the 13th international architecture exhibition - 10 detail of welded and bolted steel connection image © designboom