The Orbis

On Thursday, Sept. 16, the Nashville Cultural Arts Program (NCAP), in collaboration with the Design Center and Urban Forum, brought architect Billie Tsien to Nashville as a part of their series, "Outta Site! Lectures on Contemporary Architecture and Art." Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Frist Foundation and the Metro Nashville Arts Commission, Tsien gave a stimulating presentation highlighting her influences and past works as an eminent contemporary architect.

Tsien began her presentation highlighting her Chinese heritage. She discussed how Asians are seldom seen displaying external emotion, explaining that in her work she at times emphasizes a plain exterior and a surprisingly intricate interior. She also brought up the idea of "wu-wei" or "effortless effort." The concept translates to a harmony in space, "appropriate to its time and place," that can exist between a built space and the natural environment.

In discussing her inspirations, she drew on a diverse set of artistic examples, both in the type of media and the time period. She talked about Gary Cooper, who starred in the motion picture "The Foutainhead," based on the book by Ayn Rand. In the movie, Cooper is Howard Roark, an architect who builds only for himself to make something great. She contrasts herself to Roark as someone who instead finds the glory of architecture in the details and in wanting to create a pleasing structure.

In a second example, she displayed an African sculpture that was both beautiful and had a useful purpose. Linking the concepts of appearance and function, she explained that both could co-exist perfectly. In the same way, a famous sculptor, Constantin Brancusi, would often create sculpture from wooden blocks that he used for sitting in his work space.

Next, she presented the image of a staircase, explaining how she had been in the house and had been using the banister to ascend the stairs. Although she was unable to see a difference, she could feel with her hands that the material had changed from a metal or wood to a soft ivory. Thus, subtlety in detail can often be one of the more ingenious resources at an architect's disposal.

After discussing works that had influenced her, she delved into her own portfolio, discussing four particular projects, highlighting elements of each structure that held particular importance.

Interestingly, her husband is her partner in her architecture firm, so every decision she makes regarding elements of buildings occurs in conjunction with him. Jokingly, she said she felt they had been married twice as long based on the amount of time they spend together during the day. Yet, it was important to her to mention how ideas are exchanged and how teamwork affects her.

After her speech, local architects bounced professional questions off her, a good learning experience for the prospective architects of the audience. This is one of the many great events that occur in Nashville sponsored by local arts programs.

For more information on this and other local architectural events, please visit http://www.civicdesigncenter.org.

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