oris
Šolali ste se za glasbenika in matematika. Kako se vam je porodila ideja, da z glasbe preidete na arhitekturo? Ali je v vaši arhitekturi kaj vplivov glasbe in matematike?

libeskind
Da. Glasba in arhitektura sta velik del mojega dela, ne samo zato, ker me ti dve področji zanimata, temveč tudi zato, ker je arhitektura, kakor jo jaz vidim, zelo povezana z glasbo – z akustiko, matematiko in proporci, kakor jih zaznavata uho in oko. Očitno gre za zgodovinsko povezani disciplini. Težko je reči, kako sem iz glasbenih zaplul v arhitekturne vode, je pa očitno, da pri meni arhitektura vključuje podobne ideje. Čeprav nisem več dejaven kot izvajalec, menim, da je moje zanimanje za glasbo vidno v moji arhitekturi.

oris
V zgodovini umetnosti se je nekaj umetnikov ukvarjalo s temi področji. Na primer, John Cage se je ukvarjal z glasbo, bil pa je dejaven tudi kot likovni umetnik. Dadaisti in Kurt Schwitters so eksperimentirali z zvokom in skladanjem. Še ena vzporednost, ki enako navdihuje, je arhitekturna notacija, zapis prostorov in njihovih zvez z drugimi sistemi, izpeljanimi iz glasbe in plesa. Preiskoval se je problem sočasnega beleženja časa in prostora. Rudolf Von Laban je razvil notacije plesa in koreografije, ki jih je objavil leta 1928 v Kinetographie Laban. Ste kdaj mislili na ta preiskovanja medsebojno povezovalnih disciplin arhitekture, glasbe in plesa?

libeskind
Pred več leti sem naredil dve seriji risb, Micromegas in Chamberworks, ki sem ju imel za arhitekturni. Risbe ne predstavljajo dejanskih stavb, vendar so vsekakor del tistega, kar še dandanes razvijam. Torej da, risal in pisal sem o tej temi abstrakcije v risbah ter arhitekturnih risbah in njihovi povezanosti. Poleg tega morate pri velikih projektih usklajevati delo drugih ljudi. Kot pri glasbenem delu je tudi to partitura, in jaz to vidim kot partituro. Na primer, urbanistični načrt za Ground Zero vidim kot partituro, ki jo izvaja množica različnih izvajalcev, ki se hkrati usklajujejo z osrednjim 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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