More Museum Show Commentary...

I really recommend the “Between Earth and Heaven- The Architecture of John Lautner” at the UCLA’s Hammer Museum. Both the design of the exhibition and the architecture of John Lautner are innovatively and creatively designed. Lautners believed that “a building should awaken a transcended understanding of the environment through conversation with the environment.” His designs integrate architecture in a dialogue with the landscape. I didn’t know anything about his work before going to the exhibition but I left feeling like I had a strong understanding of his aesthetic and design philosophy because of the design of the exhibition. In the subtle way that Lautner created an interesting dialogue between his architecture and the landscape, the design of the exhibition creates an interesting dialogue between the creation of his buildings and the life of the buildings now. On slated architectural planning boards you can see the preliminary sketches and models of his plans along with brief explanations and projected on the walls above are footage clips of the interior and exterior of the buildings now. It is interesting to consider both sides of the life of the building- the creation and the building decades later.