CHANCE FAVORS THE PREPARED MIND

I sometimes think that architecture is a phenomenon that can only be described from the periphery, while its core defies articulation. We can ascertain architecture’s reality through written words, what we see with our own eyes, and the touch of our own hands. But I have always wondered how one can possibly plan in advance the wealth of elements that form the core of architecture, yet remain beyond our reach, and how we can grasp the totality of the relationships among these elements. We sense that while architecture has a physical form, what we really wish to grasp is something that only exists behind that form. Perhaps it is this aspect of architecture that inspires us the most. “Chance favors the prepared mind” is a proverb attributed to the microbiologist Louis Pasteur. One’s chances of discovering the unexpected are vastly improved by preparing for that possibility in advance; it is this mental preparation and initiative that brings “good luck.” Preparation is a prerequisite for our discovery of the true significance of a work of architecture; what we call planning may well mean the pursuit, from the outset, of something we have never searched for before. Furthermore, the drawings and models that emerge in the course of this search should serve as clues that will help us grasp architecture’s essence.
   This exhibition is a project through which I am attempting to search for something as yet undiscovered: the kind of architectural planning I should pursue from this point on. This effort to unearth the meaning of the architectural plans I have been engaged with so far through an after-the-fact examination of the peripheral and fragmentary objects they yielded will, I hope, open a door to the rich essence of architecture.