This was the Future, Vol.27
typed for your pleasure on 14 August 2006, at 1.09 amSdtrk: ‘FRUiTS CLiPPER’ by Capsule
When I first saw this place, my mind immediately conjured up images from the film ‘Fantastic planet‘. I hated ‘Fantastic planet’. To be honest though, I’d like to see it again, but with subtitles instead of that hideous dubbing, as I think the dubbing was what really drove me away. Gods, that dubbing. But this building reminded me of ‘Fantastic planet’, and really, any sci-fi from out of Europe during the Sixties. This would be Palais Bulles (Bubble Palace), designed for fab fashion designer Pierre Cardin by Antti Lovag in 1970.
Lovag noticed that traditional habitations, like the cavern or the igloo, were round and reflected the way a human being moves in space. These houses were built “around” the human being and did not force him into rectangular spaces, like modern houses. Spheres and round surfaces reminded of the maternal uterus and avoiding any sharp edge they could prevent, according to Lovag’s theory, neurosis and violence. [..]
The interior is made of many round rooms, resembling foam bubbles, all furnished and decorated in a perfect ’70s style, no pictures on the walls, but big design lamps, coloured cushions and everywhere a deep, fluffy, wall-to-wall carpeting. Windows are big portholes with a round glass on them. The villa has also a conference room, a private cinema, a swimming pool and a tennis court.
quoted from this article
It’s occurred to me just now that this residence could be considered the spiritual sibling to Moshe Safdie’s Habitat 67 — it’s a closely-knit cluster of simple shapes, but instead of being cubes, they’re more globular. Also, it’s a single home, not an apartment structure. Also, it’s located in Côte d’Azur, not Montréal. Also, Palais Bulles is rust-coloured, not putty-coloured. I could go on.
Don’t know if it’s someplace I’d want to live — those concave walls would make it difficult to hang my trevor brown silkscreen — but.. o, who am I kidding. Like I wouldn’t move there, given half the chance (and all the money). Nice one, Antti!
Random similar posts, for more timewasting:
This was the Future, Vol.34 on July 27th, 2007
This was the Future, Vol.32 on January 1st, 2007
August 15th, 2006 at 10.29 am
Being a native Montrealer, I’ve been to Habitat many times. It’s still neat to walk around inside what resembles a vast concrete space colony, an obsolete vision of the future. Though Safdie planned for schools and shops in the complex, only a portion of which was completed, it only has a small convenience store in the parking garage. The units are leaky and old, and to me Habitat represents Montreal’s faded glory. Anyway, that Lovag building really reminds me of the architecture in Woody Allen’s “Sleeper” — which I just happed to be writing about!
August 16th, 2006 at 7.11 pm
Only a small convenience store in the car park? How depressing. It’s better than no shops whatsoever, but still.. And at the very least, at least Habitat 67 is still standing. Perhaps some architectural society will come forth soon, and offer to restore it. As it’s a snapshot of an obsolete future, it’s just as worthy of preservation as some bog-standard antebellum home..
And y’know, I’ve yet to see ‘Sleeper’. I know, I know — there’s a list of films that I have to see that’s about an astronomical unit long. I just saw ‘The Exorcist’ for the first time a couple of weeks ago!
August 17th, 2006 at 9.03 am
Sleeper is still somewhat amusing, though the cultural context is pretty far removed from ours. Woody Allen runs hot and cold in my mind.
As for this habitat, it reminds me of this cartoon I saw in the 80’s about this blob family. They made a home for themselves by being their own concrete forms and casting their home around them in concrete. Very strange, and I don’t remember any additional details. In fact, I feel bad having wasted your time by trying to reminisce in such an incomplete manner.
August 17th, 2006 at 5.06 pm
I would agree; old Woody Allen is ace — in fact, ‘Love and death’ used to be one of my favourite fillums back in highschool — but later Woody Allen makes me want to yawn without stopping. A yawn to end the Universe.
And I’m afraid I can’t help you, or your family of blobs.
August 17th, 2006 at 10.18 pm
SafeT, wasn’t that Barbapapa?
http://www.barbapapa.fr/
They were like shapeshifting Smurfs.
Be afraid. Be very afraid…
August 18th, 2006 at 1.00 pm
YEAH! That’s them!
http://www.barbapapa.fr/gb/catalogue/flagship.html
Look at “Barbapapa Cerca Casa” (Barbapapa’s New House)
It looks more than a little like the picture DaveCat put here.
August 18th, 2006 at 3.23 pm
AAAAAAAAAAHHHH THAT thing!! I have vague, preschool-related memories of Barbapapa.
Thanks, Tim, and thank you, Internet!