OUT NOW! OUT OF THE CLOUDS Wolf dPrix: Sketches 1967–2020

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Prix’s freehand drawings were representative of what was built in the 1960s and 1970s; today they are strategic guides for realizing the studio’s complex constructions. From 2,900 archival drawings, 1,098 examples were selected for publication to represent developmental dynamics in an archive-like format. As invaluable documents of architectural history, they illustrate 263 selected projects.

With a foreword by Thom Mayne (Morphosis),
„At the conception of either creative or biological pursuits, an idea is formed through an instance of chance. This moment of time captured on paper can never be repeated, and the circumstances of conception are equally uncontrollable; an author’s imaginative subconscious is intoxicated, unwieldy, and wild. Sketching, propagated by chance, captures a mind unfettered. It is an ecstatic expulsion of an idea onto the page – and cannot be choreographed beforehand.”, Thom Mayne

a conversation between Kristin Feireiss and Wolf dPrix,
„When Wolf dPrix asked me to write a text about his sketches, I spontaneously said yes, since in a way, I “grew up” with them. After some careful consideration, however, I realized that I would prefer the form of an interview or conversation, because I myself have many questions for Wolf dPrix on the subject of sketches, and I am furthermore convinced that the answers he gives are much more exciting than my self-tailored analysis, not only for me but also for the readers of this publication.”, Kristin Feireiss

and a dedication by Günther Feuerstein On Himmebl(l)au’s “Clouds”.
„But what about the dream then? No, the dream is not fleeting – it is unreal! It is reality on a completely different level: Thanks to Doctor Sigmund Freud, the dream also helps us in architecture and we are allowed to dream again. Well, not only the simple model “tower is man, cupola is woman” explains architecture to us – what Himmelb(l)au dreams, is more than clouds and angels! And the dream knows no gravity, no right angle – we may be “Deconstructivist,” to use the evil expression.”, Günther Feuerstein

Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel 2022
Editor: COOP HIMMELB(L)AU, Wolf dPrix
Author: Wolf dPrix
ISBN 978 – 3‑0356 – 2532‑5
e‑ISBN (PDF) 978 – 3‑0356 – 2533‑2
Pages 512
English/German