Projects – House For a Musician
From the process of mapping scenarios onto the site, the house develops. The inspirations are Le Corbusier, Beethoven, Egyptian Architecture, and the poetry of Oscar Wilde:
In a dim corner of my room for longer
Than my fancy thinks
A beautiful and silent sphinx has
Watched me through the shifting gloom.
Come forth my lovely languorous sphinx!
And put your head upon my knee!
And let me stroke your throat and see
Your body spotted like a linx!
And let me touch those curving claws of
Yellow ivory and grasp
The tail that like a monstrous asp coils
Round your heavy velvet paws!
(From “the Sphinx”)
The building expresses the circulation of sound with spaces shaped to allow music to spread throughout. It involves the creation of both a public and a private realm in the suburban experience, and provides a mood of deluge and drama. A bust of Beethoven stands guard in front, with a pool of water before him. And seats spread about. These are offerings to passers by, places for them to sit and listen to the music emanating from within the building. The garden is of complete isolation, an exotic place with a sphinx in a circle of sand; a timeless image under whose eyes one can sunbathe in full nudity.