Cache Digital Semper
Cache Digital Semper
Bernard Cache
Digital
Semper
" Digital Semper." To put these two words
together seems like a contradiction in terms.
Starting with an analysis of the first word,
however, I will try and dismantle the apparent
contradiction.
L'atelier Objectile, which I created with because we came to invent new materials in
Patrick Beauce, experiments with technologies order to create new designs, but because our
in architecture by focusing primarily on interest in decorative wooden panels is
software development in order to digitally consistent with Semper's Bekleidung Prinzip
design and manufacture building components. (cladding principle). Even our investigations
Beginning with a period dedicated to building into the generation of software to map key
research, furniture design, and sculpture, we elements of modern topology, like knots and
worked for more than ten years with the interlacing, consist of a contemporary
French company TOPCAD in designing transposition of Semper's Urmotive or
complex surfaces in order to debug our primitive pattern.
developing software. Three years ago we
What does it mean today to refer to Gottfried
created Objectile and started to focus our work
Semper? Why, in 1999, should we look back to
on flat and supposedly simpler components like
the 19th century just as everybody claims the
panels or doors in order to tackle the problems
21st will be digital? And why focus on Semper,
generated by the industrial production of
whose architecture seems to reveal nothing but
varying elements.
the Renaissance historicism rejected by the
Industrial production forces us to confront Moderns?l Are we not in a very di"erent
many basic problems like zero-error procedures period? We live in an age not of iron but
and stress-free MDF panels. A key element in silicon. Why would we need to reconnect the
digital manufacturing is to avoid bending a end of our iron, concrete, and glass century to
panel when machining one of its faces. Our the history of wood, stone, clay, and textiles?
experience now enables us to think of a fully Do we not run the risk of a new technological
digital architecture like our museum project determinism, by which the information age, the
and the pavilion we recently built on the so-called -"third wave," would create a second
occasion of the Archilab conference in Orleans. break with the past, definitively negating any
The four elements of this pavilion are the result historical experience, leaving us with no
of previous experiments with screens, panels, alternative other than a choice between the
and tabletops. In that process, we noticed that dinosaurs and the space shuttle? Or should we
our approach had a clear a!nity to Gottfried not instead be reminded that information
Semper's theory as he articulated it in Der Stil technologies themselves are deeply rooted in
(1863) not only because we come to the past? The computer is not an Unidentified
architecture through the technical arts, or
Flying Object that landed one day in a 1. Architecture, as with the other fine arts, finds
California garage. its fundamental motivation in the technical
arts.
Let us retail a few examples of current
computing issues that lead us back to the 19th 2. The four major technical arts are: textiles,
century, if not earlier. We could begin with the ceramics, tectonics,and stereotomy.
Fast Fourier Transform Integrated Circuits, 3. Among these four technical arts, textiles lend
which you can find in any digital television set. many aspects to the other three techniques.
Joseph Fourier, who discovered the
mathematical method for coding the picture of 4. The knot is the fundamental mode of
the future, had worked alongside Champolion, textiles, and therefore of architecture, inasmuch
his companion on Napoleon's expedition to as this monumental art is subordinated to the
Egypt, and who had found a way to decode cladding principle (Das Bekleidung Prinzip).
hieroglyphs (1822) with the help of Quatremere This, of course is too straightforward a
de Quincy's cousin. We could also cite Sadi summary, for when we get into the matter and
Carnot, inventor of the Second Law of read Semper's text carefully, we quickly realize
Thermodynamics (1824) that Richard that these summations are complicated further.
Feynman, the great physicist hired by IBM,
paired with Maxwell's Demon (1867) in his Immediately following his introduction,
1996 lectures about "Reversible computation Semper enunciates the four categories of
and the thermodynamics of computing"2 materials according to physical criteria.
lectures whose topic is the long-term future of Materials can be pliable, like fabrics; soft, like
the computer. We could also discuss the all too clay; elastic, sticklike elements, like wood; or
familiar, yet often misinterpreted, chaos dense, like stone.
theory,the mathematics of which were worked Semper then immediately switches to the.
out by Henry Poincaré. Recently, Michel second enunciation of four categories, no
Serres has brilliantly demonstrated how these longer distinguishing materials but activities,
mathematics share a common structure with or what we will call procedures. These are the
Claude Debussy's musical composition, as well famous technical arts: textiles; ceramics;
as with Charles Peguy's book on history, Clio, tectonics (i.e., carpentry); and stereotomy (i.e.,
ou dialogue de I'historie et de l'ame paienne.3 masonry).
And, last but not least, we could mention the
At first sight, the second list seems to be
integration of Desargues's geometry into
redundant, given the first one. But then
modern CAD software.
Semper makes a series of puzzling remarks. He
Even if computer science cannot contemplate tells us that "Not only have the four categories
its future without returning to old debates, we to be understood in a wider sense, but one
should certainly expect architecture to benefit should be aware of the numerous and
from reacquainting itself with its past in order reciprocal relations that link them together."
to take advantage of information technology. To be sure, each of the four techniques applies
We believe that cyberspace need not lead to to a privileged material from which originated
cultural amnesia. the primeval motives. Nevertheless, procedures
We believe that innovation can be linked to were also developed for each of the other
history, without the return of a prehistory or materials. Thus, ceramics should not be
the advent of a science fiction. restricted to earthenware but should also
include objects made out of all kinds of
Our interest in Semper stems from his concise materials, like metal, glass, and stone. Equally,
articulation of technology and history in brickwork, tiles, and mosaics, although made
architecture. But today we will leave aside the out of clay, should not be directly related to
anthropological aspect of Semper's conception ceramics but rather to stereotomy and textiles,
of history in order to focus instead on the considering the fact that they are used both to
structure of his theory, which I will summarize compose masonry works and as cladding
in the following four propositions; materials for the walls themselves. Semper
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follows with various other examples, creating a how these intentions or purposes have been
rather disconcerting impression. Textiles can realized throughout history, according to
no longer be considered to be made out of various local factors. Semper illustrates these
fabrics, and clay does not su!ce to explain two approaches by taking the example of the
ceramics. All four technical arts remain strip which holds an object in the shape of a
abstract categories elaborated throughout the ring. Semper points out that in the general-
pioneering Der Stil. formal analysis, "One should only consider
certain characteristics, so to speak, abstract,
However, things become clearer if we switch
which relates to the strip as something that
from a linear reading to a tabular one. The two
links, while the question of its various forms,
lists of materials and procedures, far from
according to the expression of the concept
paralleling one another, should rather be
within linen, silk, wool, and in wood, baked
articulated as a table (table 1), since we can find
clay, stone or metal, should be relegated to the
occurrences of each type of material for every
historical-technical analysis.
type of procedure.
We have ,then, on one side, the general
Semper himself briefly explains his
procedure of linking, and on the other, the
methodology in the second chapter of the
various materials through which this procedure
introduction. Each technical art must be
is applied. But then Semper warns us that one
analyzed from two perspectives. One should
cannot expect too much rigor in the distinction
first look at what he calls "the general-fofmal
of the two approaches, since the function of a
aspect" (AlIgemein Formelles), which accounts
product also requires the use of appropriate
for the intention or the purpose
materials. Hence the abstract procedure
(Zwecklichkeit) of the works. Only afterward
cannot be thought of in isolation from the
should one consider "the technical; historical
historical material.
aspects" (Technisch-Historisches) and analyze
his writings
liantly com- Table 1 Historical and traditional materials
monumental Abstract Textile Ceramics Tectonics or Stereotomy
um, each of procedures Carpentry or Masonry
phy related
Fabric
ent of prim-
f style. The Clay
arious tech-
rs). Moving Wood
nd religious Stone
the individ-
wo types of
zation of the
The table prevents an oversimplified reading of
f art toward Semper's system; a reductiveness that I was
ession from lucky enough to avoid in two, opposing ways.
ogression is While Alois Riegl complained about the
classical and materialist reading of the so-called Semperians,
ing opposed according to which art forms would be strictly
Beethoven;
aissance und
determined by materials, Otto Wagner, in his
nfu hl ung by Modern Architecture (1986), criticized
Tragedy, in Semper's symbolist approach (although he
each facade could not help placing wreath-bearing angels
e is applied on the top of his 1903 modern Post O!ce in
side of the Vienna). Riegl focused on the materials, while
ssance, and
Wagner Isolated the abstract procedure from
the material, each considering only one single
part of Semper's system.
More Generally, this tabular structure explains we have a vertical organization of the facade
why the style of Der Stil makes reading progressing from the material conditions of art
Semper so complex and consequently so prone toward its spiritual achievements; in other
to oversimplification. Semper approaches and words, a progression from the material to the
returns from his major themes like the weaver's immaterial. This vertical progression is
shuttle passes over an under weft threads (table articulated with a horizontal opposition
2). His thinking on the surface is hard to between classical and romantic tendencies in
account for in the linearity of his writing, which each of the arts, Doric being opposed to Ionic,
would explain why two of Semper's key Raphael to Michelangelo, Mozart to
arguments, that of the knot and that of the Beethoven; oppositions that anticipate later
mask, find their ultimate development only in writings like Renaissance und Barok by
footnotes. Heinrich Wiil#in, or Abstraktion und
Einfuhlung by Wilhelm Worringer, not to
Table 2 Historical and traditional materials
mention The Birth of Tragedy, in which
Abstract Textile Ceramics Tectonics Stereotomy
procedures Nietzsche opposed Apollo to Dionysus. So,
Fabric Carpets, rugs, Animal skin Patchwork?
each facade is organized as a table, and this
flags, curtains flask, Egyptian tabular structure is applied to the four
situla
Clay Mosaic, tiles, Vase-shape, Brickwork,
historical epochs allocated to each side of the
brickwork,
cladding
earthenware,
Greek hydria
Masonry building: Antiquity, the Middle Ages, the
Wood Decorative Barrels Furniture, Marquetry Renaissance, and Semper's present.
wood pannels carpentry
Stone Marble and Cupola Trabeated Massive Table 3
other stone system stonework
cladding The built book: The Art History Museum
(1869-91)
Roof: Creative individuals
In a way, we could argue that the structure of Main story: Social and religious conditions of art
this table has been worked out by Semper Ground story: Technical arts
himself, inasmuch as we could consider that Artistic tendencies: Classical, Romantic
writing is only one of many modes of thinking – The written building: Dey Stil (1860-63)
a type of intellectual activity among which we Materials of contemporary architecture
could also posit architecture (Ut scriptura Materials of modern architecture
Materials of transitional architecture
architectura [table 3]). Indeed, in the proposal Abstract procedures: Textile, Ceramics, Tectcnies,
given to the approval committee, Semper Stereotomy
explained how the two museums built in
Vienna, the Art History Museum and the We could argue that the museum in Vienna
Natural History Museum, Illustrate the constitutes the third volume, built rather than
dualities of his practice and his theory, between written, of the unfinished Der Stil. At first
his writings and his buildings. Harry Francis sight, the museum presents itself as a three
Mallgrave has brilliantly commented on the dimensional composition of tables whose
structure of the facades of these monumental height, length, and depth each make up one
pieces of architecture.5 In the Art History type of analysis. Actually, the two volumes of
Museum, each of the three stories was assigned Der Stil could themselves be understood as a
a specific iconography related to one of the two dimensional sub-table of the facade
three factors a"ecting the development of organization. As I already mentioned, in one
primitive patterns according to Semper's direction we could find the technical arts,
definition of style. The ground story is whereas orthogonally, we could find the
dedicated to the materials of the various progression from the material to the
technical arts (what Semper called the external immaterial. These two directions are of very
factors). Moving upward, the main floor is di"erent natures. The leitmotiv of Semper is
dedicated to the social and religious conditions that there are a limited number of abstract
of art, and the statues on the roof reify the procedures,6 which is why he shows himself to
individuals who opened significant new paths be very parsimonious in counting them (table
in art (the two types of internal factors). Hence, 4). Thus, metal is introduced as a material in
itself and, rightly or wrongly, Semper did not
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information technologies would not simply be was a painter who worked for several years on
accidentally accounted for by Semper's theory; the murals of La Madeleine church and
it would be in their very nature to fit into his established a classification of ceramics on the
system as the best vehicle to push the basis of the rotation and deformation of two
abstraction of the four technical procedures simple geometric figures: the square and the
further. Far from being limited to fabrics, circle. Interestingly enough, Ziegler conceived
textiles could be the procedure of going his Etudes Ceramiques as 24 Cartesian
alternatively over and under, what in terms of meditations.
information technology is called modulation. More relevant to our own practice is the
In turn, distinct from pottery, ceramics could concept of modulation, which is not at all
deal with revolving solids and operations in foreign Der Stil. One could even say that it is
radial coordinates as opposed to tectonics, the key concept of the Prolegomena. It is what,
which could deal with non rotational under the name of Eurythmy, Semper
transformations adequately described in conceived of as the Gestaltungsprinzip.
Cartesian coordinates. And finally, stereotomy Eurylhmy was first introduced as the principle
could be the art of tiling and paving as it results of all regular closed figures, like snowflakes or
from Boolean operations. Taken as a whole, crystals, but also architectural frames and
we would have described the interface of a cornices. Semper articulated a more general
Semperian computer-aided design software. definition: "Eurythmy consists in the
Table 5 Materials of Modern and sequencing of spatial intervals displaying
Contemporary Architecture analogue configuration." This very general
Abstract Textile Ceramics Tectonics Stereotomy definition benefited from further
procedures
in our practice, for example, to design our manifests itself in the stone pediment ending
Semper Pavilion. The Semperian eurythmy the series of wooden trusses that support the
provides us with a mathematical roof of Greek temples. The pediment
understanding of the concept of concinnitas transposes the wooden structure of the trusses
which, as Caroline van Eyk reminds us, was in stone. The word transposition is the
the keystone of Alberti's De reaedificatoria. translation of what Semper termed
Renaissance aesthetics should certainly not be Sto"wechsel in German - "material
reduced to a theory of proportions; but the fact transformation" in English - which brings us
that the concept of concinnitas encapsulates back to biology, since this was the word used
the sub-concepts of oppositio and varietas does by Semper's friend Moleschott in describing
not preclude a mathematical interpretation of the metabolism of plants and animals.
Alberti's De re aedificatoria if we understand
Table 6 Vitruvian and Semperian
the encapsulated specifications as oppositions transposition
or variations of amplitude, frequency, and Abstract Textile Ceramics Tectonics or Stereotomy
phase. This is precisely what Semper is hinting procedures Carpentry or Masonrly
1. invents
By moderns, I designate
the transposition thebut
principle, architects of to
its application
the 20th century who took a strong positionone
tectonics in stone as a transposition from wood is only
against history and ornamentation, which
step within Semper's general table. Architecture emerges
in the move from one technology to another. Hence, textiles
in practice did not prevent them from
would today be the abstract procedure emerging within the
caring about
transposition surfaces
process and
that leads us cladding,
from primitivebutfabrics to
actually limited
contemporary t heirtechniques,
modulation ornamental whiledesign to
continuously
material textures, washed out coatings
emulating mosaic cladding, wooden panels, and embossed
(aplat),
metal. and rectilinear
Technical geometric
art is a contracting memory patterns.
as opposed to
an engramme.
2. Richard P. Feynman, Lectures on
1 Computation (Reading,
By moderns, I designate Massachusetts:
t he architects of the 20th centu ry
Addison"Wesley, 1996).
who t ook a strong position against history and ornamenta-
tion, which in practice did not prevent t hem from carin g
3. about
Michel Serres,
surfaces Éloge but
and c: ladding, deactually
la philosophie
I imited t heir orn a-
en langue française (Paris: Fayard,
mental design t o material te xtures, washed out coatings (a·
1995).
plat), and re otilinear geometric patte rn s.
2 Richard P. Feynman, Lectures on Computation (Read ing,
4. Massachusetts:
Gottfried Semper, Der 199
Addison"Wesley, Stil6).186()-63,
3 partially t ranslated in Gottfried
Michel Serres, Eloge de la philosophie Semper:
en langue franljaise
TheFayard,
(Paris: Four 1995).
Elements of Architecture
4 Gottfried Semper, Der Stil186()-63, parti ally t rans lated in
and other Writings, trans. Harry Francis
Gottfried Semper: The Four Elements of Architecture and other
Mallgrave and Wolfgang Hermann
Writings, trans. Hany Francis Mallgrave and Wolfgan g Her-
(Cambridge:
mann Cambridge
(Cambridge: Cambridge Unive Unive rsity198B).
rsity Press, Press,
5 1988).
I n Harry Francis Mallgrave, Gottfried Semper, Architect of
the Nineteenth Century (New Haven : Yale University Press,
5. In Harry Francis Mallgrave, Gottfried
1996). General ly spea king, al l of our analyses rel y on the con-
Semper,
siderable Arc hitect
and remarkable wor kof the
doile Nineteenth
by Mallgrave and Wolf-
Century
gang Her mann(New
to unearthHaven: YaleofUniversity
t he history 19th-century archi-
Press,1996).
tectural Generally
practice and t heory. speaking, all of our
6analyses
1t is true thatrely on the considerable
in the museum, t he number ofand technical arts is
six, and that none of t hem is exp licitly te xt iles, although
remarkable work done by Mallgrave and
metal is presented as "hollow metal and embossing, " while
Wolfgang Hermann to unearth the history
sculpture in marble could be assimil ated into t he fine textu re
ofofCo19th-century architectural
rinth ian as opposed t o t he roughpractice and
forms of Do ric. A lso
theory.
note t hat casting c;ou ld be understood as the im pr int.
7 Up to the po int of negating matter itself. See Semper in
6. It is trueandthat
Mallgrave in the only
Hermann: museum,by f ully the number
mastering t he of
t ech-
technical
nique arts forget
can an artist is six,thand that
e matter. none of them
is explicitly textiles, although metal is
presented
Bel' ard Sathe as
is a"hollow metalatand
visiting professor the Universidad Inter-
embossing," while sculpture in marble
nacional de Catalunya and at UCLA. He is the author ()f Earth
Moves and a contribut.or to Liberation et Mediapouvoirs.
could be assimilated into the fine texture of
Corinthian as opposed to the rough forms
of Doric. Also note that casting could be
understood as the imprint.
7. Up to the point of negating matter itself.
See Semper in Mallgrave and Hermann:
only by fully mastering the technique can an
artist forget the matter.
Bernard Cache is a visiting professor at
the Universidad Internacional de
Catalunya and at UCLA. He is the
..
author of Earth Moves and a contributor
to Libération et Médiapouvoirs.