oris
Školovali ste se za glazbenika i matematičara. Kako ste došli na ideju prijeći s glazbe na arhitekturu? Ima li u vašoj arhitekturi utjecaja glazbe i matematike?

libeskind
Ima. Glazba i arhitektura su vrlo velik dio mog rada, ne samo jer me ta dva područja zanimaju, nego zato što je arhitektura, kako ja to vidim, uvelike povezana s glazbom – akustikom, matematikom i proporcijama kako ih percipiraju uho i oko. Očito je da se radi o povijesno povezanim disciplinama. Teško je reći kako sam od glazbenika otplovio u arhitektonske vode, no očito je da kod mene arhitektura uključuje slične ideje. Iako više nisam aktivan kao izvođač, smatram da je moje zanimanje za glazbu vidljivo u mojoj arhitekturi.

oris
U povijesti umjetnosti nekoliko se umjetnika bavilo tim područjima. Primjerice, osim što se bavio glazbom, John Cage je bio aktivan i kao likovni umjetnik. Dadaisti i Kurt Schwitters eksperimentirali su sa zvukom i skladanjem. Još jedna paralela koja jednako nadahnjuje je arhitektonska notacija, zapis prostora i njihovih veza s drugim sustavima izvedenim iz glazbe i plesa. Istraživao se problem istovremenog bilježenja vremena i prostora. Rudolf Von Laban je razvio notacije plesa i koreografije koje je objavio u Kinetographie Laban 1928. godine. Jeste li ikada imali na umu ta istraživanja međusobno povezanih disciplina arhitekture, glazbe i plesa?

libeskind
Prije dosta godina sam izradio dvije serije crteža: “Micromegas” i “Chamberworks”, koje sam smatrao arhitektonskim. Oni ne predstavljaju stvarne zgrade, no ti su crteži svakako dio onoga što i dan-danas razvijam. Dakle, jesam, crtao sam i pisao o toj temi apstrakcije u crtežima i arhitektonskim crtežima te o njihovoj povezanosti.
Na velikim projektima morate koordinirati rad drugih ljudi. To je partitura kao kod glazbenog djela; ja to vidim kao partituru. Primjerice, urbanistički plan za Ground Zero smatram partiturom koju izvodi mnoštvo različitih izvođača u isto se vrijeme usklađujući sa središnjim duhom ideje projekta.
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oris
You were educated as a musician and a mathematician. How did you come to the idea to switch from music to architecture? Is there any influence of music and mathematics in your architectural practice?

libeskind
Yes. Music and architecture are very much a part of my work, not only because I’m interested in those two fields, but because architecture, the way I see it, is very interconnected with music – with acoustics, with mathematics and proportions as perceived by both the ear and the eye. Obviously, these are historically connected disciplines. How I drifted from being a performer in music to architecture is hard to tell, but certainly architecture encompasses similar ideas for me. Even though I’m not performing anymore as a musician, I would say that my interest in music is visible in my architecture.

oris
In the history of art there were several artist who worked in those fields. For example, alongside his work in music, John Cage was also active as a visual artist. Dadaists and Kurt Schwitters experimented with sound and composing. Another, equally inspiring parallel is the issue of architectural notation and its link to other systems of notation derived from music and dance. The problem of simultaneous notation of both time and space has been researched. Rudolf Von Laban developed notation of the dance and choreography published in Kinetographie Laban in 1928. Did you ever have in mind these investigations of interlinking disciplines of architecture, music and dance?

libeskind
Many years ago I created two series of drawings: Micromegas and Chamberworks, which I consider architectural. They do not represent actual buildings, yet these drawings are certainly a part of what I continue to develop today. So yes, I’ve drawn and written about this theme of abstraction in drawings, architectural drawings and technical drawings, and their interconnection.
Also, in doing a grand project you have to coordinate the actions of others, as in a musical composition so it is a score and I see it as a score. For example, I consider the masterplan for the Ground Zero a score which has to be performed by many different players, while harmonizing itself with a central spirit of the idea of the project.
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