Kimbell Art Museum

Resurrection of Light

Peyman Soleimani1

Figure 1: photo by Dave Liale

Introduction

Louis Kahn’s big ideas in architecture including representing honor and reverence

of the natural light, making a room with its own light2 and creating served and

servant spaces, were all manifested in the Kimbell art museum in Fort Worth,

Texas, in January 1972.

Louis Kahn’s most fundamental consideration was related to desire, as he

indicated in his definition of architecture. He believed that architecture is the art

of institutions which is the embodiment of human desire. “Order” intended for

describing desire, However order is derived in its own nature and acts as the

underlying principles behind all things. Order is beyond concept, and eventually

there has been no solid definition for order surpassing that “order is …”

1 Student- Master of Architecture- Fontys-Tilburg , e-mail : p.soleimani@student.fontys.nl 2 The room is a place where its structure and it is made (is) in its light… Because the structure is the giver of the light. That is why these columns are so wonderful. This is Kimbell. Kimbell stand as natural light and the making of a room, which are really invisible. (Meyers, 1976, p. 7)

As a result, Louis Kahn used two poetic metaphors called “light” and “silence” as

descriptive tools representing order. He identifies silence as a voiceless, soundless

phenomenon which is not quiet. It is a speaking which is not speech. Silence is the

realm of potentials where things reside until they brought into realisation. Light is

the source of need and is considered as the means for existence. Silence is an

unmeasurable desire which exists, while light is measurable and a giving entity.

Threshold between these two concepts is art. Art itself could make a path

between these two realms (Lobell, 2014).

Desire like being exists independent to machines should be seen in every

designed dwellings regardless of their contributions to typology and the cliché of

labeling. These desires should be postulated only in a liberated environment form

morphological attribute, however, in this essay, desire of existence will be

contemplate through narratives in the Kimbell art museum space as a non-

residential building.

Shadow and existence

Our direct visual perception of the light is a hollow blindness which everything is

almost white. Thus absence of light is needed for a solid comprehending of light, a

“light catcher” or veil which only allows a certain amount of light entering to our

visual system. As we get the ability for understanding the light via “light catcher”

and the contrast between “light” and “no light” area, shadow get its own

existence in to our world.

By means of shadow we come to aware about the presence of objects which

shadow casted on them. The objectivity of shadow is defined by the surface that

it has been casted on and the subjectivity of the shadow, is to introduce material

and texture of that surface. Light is shining on earth and everything casts its

shadow in surfaces around. Now every object and organism can be interpreted,

and shadow is a proof of their existence.

Diagram 1: Relation between Louis Kahn`s philosophy, shadow and existence.

Form and spaces

Site location allows for constructing a one story building which get benefit of

having light from ceiling. Beside the act of entering light from roof to the building,

Louis Kahn uses three light court for bringing another forms of light in to the

museum environment. As Meyer Marshall indicated; “… what seems to be the

repetitive composition in kimbell`s plan belies the experience of the visitor…. The

serenity of the ever present dome-like shells is interrupted by the counterpoint of

the light courts and movable display panels. The visitor moves both along the

thirty meter light-giving structure and at right angles to it. He is giving the

freedom to choose his own way in an ordered and reality understood

environment”.

Figure 2: Plan of Kimbell Art museum (http://www.slideshare.net)

Chapter 1: White light

One of the most visual significance of the Kimbell art museum is the five

proportioned concrete arch wall with no opening on both northern and southern

sides. Other that these concrete veils, two water ponds in both sides of the

entrance area in western side, gives the attraction to the viewers by reflection the

image of the front porch and bringing the water movement and sound to the

entry scene. Besides, in summer time, the entrance area which is covered by rows

of planted trees resembles a green canopy which filter the light and hot weather

of Texas and create a calm and moderate ambient for offering a sense of

tranquility to the visitors before entering to the building. While in winter time, the

vulnerable forms of the trees works as a significance orientation point for the

entrance zone.

Figure 3: overall view to the 5 concrete shell domes. (Photo by Richard Barnes from the website http://www.archlighting.com/projects/structural-light-the-new-renzo-piano-pavilion-at-the-

kimbell_o)

In another view the desire for existence can be perceived by the shadows of trees

in the entrance area or the shadow of building itself which intensify the presence

of the direct light in starting point of a typical narrative for experiencing the

building spaces by visitors. The shadows on the ground surfaces identify a place in

the space of the park which building stands in. In this manner Kimbell art museum

gains its existence by interaction with the landscape and void under the caressing

sun.

Figure 4 : shadow casting in the entrance area and threshold between light and silence. Photo by Christopher Martin from web site https://www.flickr.com/photos/applepirate/2547070937/

Chapter 2: Silver light

While trees in the entrance and the silhouettes on the ground, alienate the visitor

from all the congregations of the city and life conflicts, the viewer find himself in

close relation with art itself which is represented by different art pieces along the

elongated corridors which only decorated by magnificent indirect lighting through

roof. Actually, because of the specific designed light opening on the roof, there is

no gap in realisation of spaces and both entrance and gallery areas are mixed

accordingly. A mysterious and prevalent silver light comes out the ceiling and

illuminated art which is a threshold between light and silence. Daylight saturate

the space indirectly and together with all other views through building an infinite

interpretation of moments has been made.

What really has been pictured in indoor corridors, is the presence of silence which

had created by avoiding to have no shadows in these places. All the art pieces are

visible by visitors while their “being” are only happening in the realm of silence

which seeks the realm of light where they could face direct light and by means of

their own shadows their “being” transform to existence. In another word, all the

visionary element inside these silver vaults are expressing one single moment

before acquiring a proof for a true realisation.

Figure 5: view of the entrance area and light-giving structure. (Photo by Alexander Abuabara and from http://flickr.com/photos/abuabara)

Chapter 3: Green light

All three light courts have their own characteristics and purposes, one which is six

by six meter, has glazing only in two sides and illuminate the south gallery while it

has a travertine fountain in the middle. The second one which is eleven by eleven

meter has glazing in four sides for brightening the north gallery while it furnished

with outdoor tables and chairs and the third court, which is also six by six meter,

allows the light for entering to the lower floor and administration area.

Despite all the differences among these three light courts, the main similarity is

the attendance of green or direct light which allows the visitor for a rejuvenation

to the world outside while natural elements are represented in a minimal way. It

resemblance the moments when the viewer begins his expedition from outside to

inside of the building with all the trees and water ponds in entrance area. Only

now the standpoint of the viewer has been altered following to the experience of

“silence” in exhibition corridors. Also the idea of the room which has mentioned

in the philosophy of Kahn, can be seen as an invisible criteria among the spaces of

the museum.

Here by the presence of direct light, unmeasurable turns in to measurable and

silence reaches to light. Objects reclaim their places and shadows are the witness

of their desire for existence. A single visitor who has been seeing all the art pieces

and feel the potential of the realm of silence, now facing direct light and suddenly

shadows are fabricated again. In other words, by the means of shadows, inside

these courts, another layers of understanding has been added to place, visitor

and objects altogether.

Figure 6: Two glazed court, illuminating the southern gallery. (Photo from: architectmagazine.com)

Chapter’s integration

In addition to explanation of the three spaces that has been describing through a

defined narrative in three chapters, like every other dwellings, an infinite stories

and events could take place in spaces of the building. By this reason, an attempt

has been made in a form of graphical illustration for exhibiting both the building

spaces and different narratives happened in building. Drawing is made following

to create an axonometric view of the building in an abstract condition.

Figure 7: Abstract isometric view of the Kimbell Art Museum spaces and different narratives

Results

As “Louis Kahn” struggled with both modern movement and the monumentality

in architecture in the mid-twenties century, he introduced the system of “order”

with two poetic metaphors named, “light” and “silence” (measurable and

unmeasurable) . He put “art” in between these two realms and he tried to

present them via architectural forms and shapes. Another layer that can be added

in to these two metaphors is the relations of shadow and the existence of all the

substance in the realm of silence and light.

Indirect light cannot produce any shadow for objects facing it. These objects are

belonging to the realm of silence while substances confronting direct light, casting

shadows and their being transformed in to existence. It has been mentioned that

the existence of the single substance or human is defied by its own shadow and

absence of a light catcher or veil resulted in a white blindness where nothing can

be interpreted.

For applying these ideas in to Kimbell art museum spaces, a narrative in three

chapters, beginning from the entrance of the building to one of the light courts,

has been selected in which the play of the shadows, direct and indirect lights and

silence and visitor moods, has tried to be considered. As a result of that the

entrance area represent the direct light and desire for existence of all the

substances and even the building itself. Visitors become tranquil and calm by

looking at the silhouettes of the trees and find their existence by looking at the

shadow of themselves. The long corridors with the indirect lighting fixture

represent the silence while there has not been any casting shadow inside. This is

the realm of potentials that every substance reside here for the realisation phase.

Besides, the art pieces which are the threshold of the realms of silence and light is

placed in this section and allow the visitors for detaching from their existence that

they interpreted earlier in the entrance area. Finally in the light courts visitors,

face the meaning of a room which is made by light that Kahn paying his focus

ideologically upon it. Here, viewer could experience the shadow and existence of

substances for the second times but this time after comprehending the art and

realm of silence. The ambient in light courts are reproducing what has been

experienced outside the Kimbell art museum, however silence and art itself are

placed in between these two areas.

Figure 8: relation between realm of silence and light (Invisible connection of indoor and outdoor)

References

Lobell, J. (2014, 5 6). John Lobell Louis Kahn Survey. New York, Pratt School, lecture on Kahn's

architecture and philosophy for 4th semester architectural history theory.

Meyers, M. D. (1976). yale Art Gallery & Kimbell Art Musuem. GA-Global Architecture 38, 46.

Pattison, H. (2015, June). Harriet Pattison on Design. (C. A. Birnbaum, Interviewer)