ZTP1987

10-18-13

            I’ve known Zac for a few years, but have never heard him actually explain his work before.  It’s fascinating the way that he takes layering and collage to a new exploratory level of phenomenological expression.  Zac sees architecture as a narrative process, and literally translates that from his sketches and concepts into exquisitely crafted artifacts that range from paintings and books to shadow boxes.  He seems to be interested in what’s hidden within something and performs various operations to pull out that idea.  These operations may be layering with text, paint, or paper to cover and uncover different meanings that Zac laid into his piece.  The examination of an objects idea or potential is the groundwork for his art, and is the same way that he believes architecture should address a site observation. 

            Zac’s research into John Hejduk reveals a similar exploration into how architects treat the site.  Hejduk’s masques offer an exploration into their various settings and seek to reveal something that was previously unnoticed about the site. 

            It is this type of investigation that cannot be left behind as we progress into the future.  The digital tools that we have at our disposal can separate us from this connection.  We have to look at keeping our connection to the site in our design repertoire otherwise the interventions that we produce will become more and more disconnected.