RICHARD SERRA & THE MATTER OF TIME

corten stairs


corten sculpture

corten steel and rusting compliments phenomenological ideas of time, impermanence and emotions. if anyone is familiar with the telok ayer stairs of WOHA, climbing up and down a phenomenological object for two years, some say, may take away some of its aura and bring it back to the reality of everyday. thinking back, i actually enjoyed climbing up and down that circular corten stairway. it was a place to stop and chat (it echoed a lot in the stairwell), the lights were soft, and every step you take goes bong-bong-bong-bong.

phenomenological everyday.

sigh, nostagia descends.

anyway, read the article "In Praise of Rust: Technics and Poetics of the Ferrous Patina" by Cheah Kok Ming in Singapore Architects 242. It is a well researched article with many examples of corten use in various ways. one of my favourite examples in his article is Gigon-Guyer's signal box in Zürich (Stellwerk Vorbahnhof) which is, ironically, NOT made out of corten but concrete with iron oxide pigments.

a rare well-written article in a magazine. i pored over it assiduously.