MBL Architectes' Impasse des Lilas Exhibition Challenges Architectural Prejudices
The exhibition 'Impasse des Lilas' by MBL architectes at arc en rêve centre d'architecture in Bordeaux, running until September 18, 2022, confronts the architectural establishment's dismissal of suburban housing estates. Founded by Benjamin Lafore and Sébastien Martinez-Barat, the agency uses ethnographic research to revalue these 'non-architectural' landscapes. The show includes works by Mathieu Mercier and references to Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, and Steven Izenour's 'Learning from Las Vegas'. A critique by Christophe Le Gac sparked debate about who can legitimately discuss suburban architecture. The exhibition features a horizontal scenography with generic objects, a Twingo model, and projects like 'Maison supernormale' (2021) and 'TDL' (2019), highlighting the architects' formal mastery.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Impasse des Lilas' by MBL architectes at arc en rêve centre d'architecture, Bordeaux, until 18 September 2022.
- MBL architectes founded by Benjamin Lafore and Sébastien Martinez-Barat.
- The exhibition questions how architecture can address suburban housing estates, often dismissed as non-architecture.
- Christophe Le Gac's article on artpress.com criticizes the debate around legitimacy to discuss suburban architecture.
- The show includes works by Mathieu Mercier and references to Venturi, Scott Brown, and Izenour.
- Projects featured: 'Maison supernormale' (2021) and 'TDL' (2019).
- Scenography is horizontal, with objects displayed like a flea market; a Twingo model greets visitors.
- The exhibition is part of a research on domesticity aiming to produce 'architectures without forms'.
Entities
Artists
- Benjamin Lafore
- Sébastien Martinez-Barat
- Christophe Le Gac
- Mathieu Mercier
- Robert Venturi
- Denise Scott Brown
- Steven Izenour
- Maxence De Block
- Benoît Delépine
- Gustave Kervern
- Charles Jencks
- Conrad Wekselberg
Institutions
- MBL architectes
- arc en rêve centre d'architecture
- ENSA de Toulouse
- Antimusée
- l'Architecture d'aujourd'hui
- agence Vraiment Vraiment
- MIT
- Rizzoli
Locations
- Bordeaux
- France
- Toulouse
- Paris
- Las Vegas
- Tassin-la-Demi-Lune
Sources
- artpress —