Rearrange
Ricardo Bofill <La fabrica>, Kanye West
<Graduation>
Ricardo
Bofill, La Fabrica, Barcelona (Spain), 1975-
© Ricardo Bofill Taller De Arquitectura
I regularly visit Ricardo Bofill's website to see the images of La Fabrica. He transformed an abandoned cement factory into a multifunctional space with offices, apartments and gardens. Its surrealistic ambience is reminiscent of scenes from a science fiction film. The 8-meter-long curtains that cascade down the windows of the living area create a sense of grandeur, yet a comfortable mood. The staircase, now painted white, serves both as access to the upper floors and as a seating area. Outside, newly planted tall trees and vines bring a futuristic vibe that blends in with the old ruined structures. By transforming the existing cylindrical space within the cement factory into an office, a distinct workspace was naturally created.
Kanye
West, Good Morning in <Graduation>, United States, 2007
©
Universal International
Kanye West's music evokes powerful emotions through his skillful sampling techniques. The album <Graduation> is characterized by the inclusion of sampled songs. For example, on Good Morning, he used the song Someone Saved My Life Tonight by Elton John, a different genre of music, changing its tone and repeating sections several times. This sampling technique extends to his later albums, where he is not only concerned with sound, but also with the visual aspect, collaborating with Virgil Abloh, who uses a design strategy that subtly modifies the original design by 3%, resulting in transformative results.
These pieces have fundamentally changed my creative process. Before, I believed in prioritizing my own ideas and concepts and transforming them into physical forms. Now my perspective has changed: Given a space, how can I transform it? How can I use conflicting elements? What visual narratives do they convey and what lessons can be learned from these pieces? I can begin the creative process by examining existing things. By blending existing forms with different contexts, entirely new sensations emerge, giving the work new vitality and meaning through the rearrangement of imagery.