SPACE February 2025 (No. 687)
Pillar diagram of The Pillar Suit (2021)
Shin Jaehee principal, Jaehee Shin MSc Arch ETH SIA, Lee Dammy principal, Flora and Fauna × Ryul Song co-principal, SUPA Schweitzer Song
Ornament
Ryul Song (Song): The pillars in Lee Dammy’s The Pillar Suit (2021) are decorative. In architecture, ornamentation has traditionally been viewed as non-essential. As is well known, Adolf Loos as well as Peter Eisenman approached ornamentation as a symbolic device through which to differentiate cultural and practical aspects, rather than considering it to be fundamental to architecture. However, in Lee’s writing, there is a connection between ornamentation and queer thinking. Queerness, as a concept, extends beyond sociological distinctions of gender to include sexual identity. It understands human nature in a very complex way by resisting or transcending modern binary concepts. If we assume that this way of thinking encompasses Lee’s understanding of architecture and decoration, it can be inferred that, for Lee, architecture is not a singular entity but a complex and multivalent one, and ornamentation also possesses an alternative means of operation to traditional grammar.
Lee Dammy (Lee): Defining ornamentation is undoubtedly a significant challenge for me, but at the same time, I don’t want to strictly define it and thereby diminish its meaning. I am more interested about the reaction evoked by the image of ornamentation or the responsive nature of ornamental imagery. While some ornamentation creates concrete symbols through regional or religion-based imagery, the images of our time are far more complex. This complexity leads me to continuously explore and experiment with what kind of ornamentation might be possible in this context.
Song: How are imagery and architecture interconnected?
Lee: It seems to involve connecting images to the ways of thinking we should consider in our era and reflecting on whether these attributes can be incorporated into architecture. My approach to ornamentation embodies both resistance and aspiration regarding the present time—resisting the industrial aspects while aspiring toward the personal production and collection of images. I think of ways to embed these in architectural ornamentation. However, establishing to one-to-one anologies or a clear connection between meaning and aesthetic outcome inevitably accompanies errors. As a result, ornamentation in my architecture deliberately avoids clear definitions, often appearing abrupt, exaggerated, or a mix of contrasting elements. At the same time, I question whether my work can tell the story it’s trying to tell, because both the meaning and the result of the ornaments can be messy. Nevertheless, I find myself unwilling to deliver meanings with precision, instead embracing chance and the imcomprehensible. I hope that the personal images I observe in my surroundings quietly find their way into architecture. For instance, motifs drawn from flora and fauna, non-productive, irrational, and undulating impressions. These are the elements I hope to integrate and activate within my work.
Song: The stone pillars in the Craft and Architecture (2016) proposal for the Seoul Museum of Craft Art does not seem to be structural. Should these stone elements, which resemble pillars, be interpreted as ornamentation?
Lee: The stones in Craft and Architecture are drawn from various references and sources, including the works of Valerio Olgiati and Lina Bo Bardi, as well as inspirations like dolphins, ambiguously shaped wood that preexisted on the site, and so on. Much like finding shapes in clouds, we adapted lines from other buildings, as well as from flora, fauna, and objects, in ways that were not excessively challenging to construct. While I do not view the concept of ornamentation negatively, as something merely added, I am conscious of the dichotomy between structure and ornamentation, necessity and addition, and the contrast between masculine and feminine, as well as industrial interior ornamentation. Additionally, I consider how ornamentation reflects the societal tendency of Koreans to be concerened on appearances or exteriors, addressing this in architectural terms. However, such perspectives are not always fully expressed in a single work. In The Pillar Suit, I simplified everything apart from the framework, adding new elements with images that conveyed volume without being too difficult to construct...
