University of St. Thomas

Building the Impossible: Architecture in Motion

The University of St. Thomas Art History Department and Exhibitions Task Force are pleased to announce the exhibition and symposia, Building the Impossible: Architecture in Motion.

Throughout the history of the built environment designers have completed projects that seemed impossible. From the Egyptian pyramids to the Eiffel Tower to the tallest skyscrapers in Chicago and New York , architects and engineers have worked together to defy the laws of logic and human ability. Over the last thirty years, architectural designers have continued to test the boundaries of building ingenuity as they fashion kinetic architecture and create structures that move. Building the Impossible: Architecture in Motion will present a historical selection of important engineered buildings over time, while focusing on more recent works with movable components such as the brise soleil at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Building the Impossible: Architecture in Motion will be on display February 28 through April 4, 2005 in the O'Shaughnessy Educational Center Lobby and Room 102 of the O'Shaughnessy Frey Library, both located on the St. Paul campus of the university at Summit and Cleveland Avenues.

The exhibition will be complemented by two symposia, a professional and academic symposium on Thursday, March 3, 2005 and a student symposium on Friday, March 4, 2005 . Anchoring these events will be a keynote talk from well-known architect and educator Dr. Peter Eisenman, a leader in American architectural design and designer of the highly innovative Arizona Cardinals Stadium in Phoenix , Arizona (currently under construction). The Arizona stadium is the first to feature a fully movable playing surface of natural grass that can be transported outside the building to help the grass grow (See image at right). Dr. Eisenman will speak on Wednesday evening, March 2, 2005 at 6:00 p.m. on the challenges he faced in designing this stadium. Dr. Eisenman will also meet with students on campus prior to his lecture for a brief question and answer session.

Dr. Eisenman is one of the foremost architects practicing today. He began his career in the 1970s by focusing on the relationship between deconstruction theory and architecture. During the 1980s he began to build more and today his work is credited with numerous architectural awards. In addition to the Cardinals Stadium, his current work includes the Berlin Holocaust Memorial, which is halfway through to completion. He has also been the recipient of many fellowships and authored several books on his work.