Mass intertwining 02.09.2016 – Posted in: Inspiration

The last few weeks have been an exciting time for our start-up business. Our new (hopefully soon-to-be-opened) web shop for second-hand architecture books has received an overwhelmingly warm reception among all prospective business partners with whom I’ve met recently. This is just great! Lesson number 1: Trust your instincts, listen to your intuition. I thought I knew this already, but still: it’s been an exceptionally uplifting month. It’s as if our tiny shop would have suddenly become the platform for a great mass intertwining: something ‘in the air’ will soon be realised.

Speaking of which, I was thrilled to receive a copy of GA56 to be included in our stock. GA Document is a Japanese high-quality architecture magazine – a true “glossy” – and this particular issue from 1998 features the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma in Helsinki. The international architecture competition for the museum building was held already in 1993: Steven Holl’s winning proposal “Chiasma” was not readily accepted by the Finnish architecture establishment. A fervent debate over Holl’s “Helsinki banana” took place during the winter 1993–94 on platforms such as Helsingin Sanomat and The Architectural Review. Holl’s intertwining masses were perceived as too object-like and sculptural at the time.

Oh well, times change, and Kiasma has definitely rooted itself in the Helsinki landscape. I wish I had an extra day in my workweek to share more of my thoughts about this publication as well as our other recent stock acquisitions.