One year at cooper union no binding

NOINU REPOOC TA RAEY ENO

IEL NAN

NOINU REPOOC TA RAEY ENO

NAN LEI

Nan LEI e-mail: lei2@cooper.edu, raynan.ln@gmail.com mobile: 917-873-7200

NO MORE AVANT GARDE

DAWN, IN THE 1970S SQUARE AND CIRCLE, LIFTING VILLA SAVOYE AND VILLA STEIN, WHISPERING SECRET DISSOLVING INTO CORNERS OF WALLS INCLINING TO CLASSIC, SUNLIGHT PENERTRATING STREAM, ETERNALLY LIMPID, AWAKEN

MODERN, THE MASK OF THE CLASSIC THE MASK OF THE CLASSIC TURNING INTO CLASSIC

ONLY, THE CLOCKTOWER MACHINE RECORDS HISTORY, GHOST AND ANGEL

BEING AN ARCHITECT RATHER THAN MAKING ARCHITECTURE

THE WAY YOU SEE THE WAY YOU THINK THE WAY YOU REPRESENT CONSTRUCT THE TOTALITY OF REALITY THERE IS NO REAL TRUTH IT IS ALL ABOUT YOU

ARCHITECTURE IS NOWHERE AS IT IS EVERYWHERE

WITHIN AND WITHOUT BOUNDARY The project establishes a new edge for the City of New York.

This edge redefines topologies between environment and city. This new expanded city edge proposes diverse typological relationships between the urban fabric, building types and the ground by decentralized environmentally active green spaces, extending the centrality of Central Park to redefine the edges of the city.

The research focused on flooding, analyzing the existing city edges, assessing the impact of natural forces. Simulating processes of erosion and sedimentation, the edges are reconfigured; the proposal makes use of existing wetlands as buffer zones for flooding, ultimately creating a new soft edge for New York.

(Critics: Pablo Lorenzo-eiroa, Lydia Xynogala, Will Shapiro)

MASS, DENSITY AND EROSION IN TECTONIC FORMATIONS This project reveals through the drawings and models the discovery made through research that the formation of the Badlands has a strong relationship with the effects of sunlight and orientation.

There are two significant periods in the formation process. The first period is by deposition during 200 MA years ago to 0.5 MA years ago, as a result of the movement of the North American Plate and the concomitant accumulation of different sediments.

The mass of the badlands increased in weight and density through the process of accumulation of deposits creates high pressure on the ground thus compressing the aquifers below, pushing them out from the top of black hills and James River.

In the second period from 0.5 MA years ago to the present, erosion dominates the formation. Firstly, the flooding of the White river cut a narrow valley. When the river dried about 450 thousand years ago, the daily and seasonal effect of sunlight on the two opposing sides of the valley created the different eroding conditions that shaped the badlands. In winter, on the sunny side of the slope the snow melts during daytime and the water penetrates the cracks of the rock. In the evening, the permeating water becomes ice, expanding the volume of the cracks on the sunlit side leaving a surface of loose rock. In summer, the large amount of water from thunderstorms washes away the surface rocks on that side. This effect is further emphasized due to the characteristics of the rocks themselves.

An added phenomenon is that the clay sediments repel each other with a mild electrical charge that prevents them from setting at the bottom resulting in all the soil being washed away, finally flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. While this process takes place on one side, the shade side remains stable. As years go by, the sunny slope moves farther away from the shady slope affecting the topography.

(Critics: Diana Agrest, Lis Cena)

GAME OF SPACE AND TIME: SPACE AND TIME IN FINANCIAL MARKETS This project attempts to rethink the relationship between space and time in our contemporary world.

There is the fundamental principle in Einstein’s special relativity: everything could not travel beyond the speed of the light, meaning even for the transmission of information between two spaces, it cannot happen instantly as the time latency should be taken into account.

The time latency in this contemporary notion of space-time usually cannot be perceived in our daily life, however, it has the tremendous influence on the stock market.

Because there is no possibility to eliminate the time latency in financial transactions, the question of modes of getting the highest speed and the lowest time latency becomes a primary issue for traders. The thesis focuses on the high frequency trading, revealing that the transactions in the virtual network system is intimately related to the physical space and time. In taking a close look at this system it becomes apparent that high frequency traders make use of low time latency in different stock exchanges by the specific relation of time and space to benefit making extraordinary profits at the expense normal stock buyers.

In trying to counter this mode of operation the strategies to avoid this kind of high frequency trading and build up the fair stock market are by necessity based on specific relations between time and space.

(Critics: Diana Agrest, Daniel Meridor)

THE SOLIDIFICATION OF TIME IN ARCHITECTURE How can architecture imply time is a question. the key to solve this question is how to capture time in architecture, meaning figure out the way of the representation of time.

Here, I try to give one of the solution through the intellectual thinking.

The object I start to analyze and deconstruct is the Chinese traditional garden. I attempt to construct the analytical drawing through the concept of my understanding of time in the garden, which I conceptually unfold the garden through my path in the garden. The drawing I construct is based on my perception in the garden, arranged by the timeline. The elements represented in the drawing are transformed by my perception of time and space, which are involved in the notion of time and no more the original ones. Conceptually, if I reconstruct the garden as the physical space based on my drawing, it means that the elements which have been distorted and transformed imply the notion of time. Therefore we can say that time is solidified in the new space.

The new space embodies my perception of time in the traditional garden. It is from the garden, but transcend it incorporated with time.

Making an analogy with films is better and easier for us to understand this kind of operation. Compared with the film making, we know that in a film, time and events are edited by the director. The director can choose he is going to show to the audience. thus the one minute in the film could be represented as ten minutes in reality. In the same way, the architecture is edited by me through the notion of time. I choose what I am going to show to the visitors. Here, architecture is equal to film as a way to representation, becoming readable for the visitors. No matter if the visitors can read the narrative I created in the new space, the time is truly captured in the space, as the soul of architecture, waiting for being read in one day.

So the final condition is in this new space, there is no object of time, but time is everywhere.

(Critics: Diana Agrest, Daniel Meridor)

“VV”BURG AS REVERSAL SPACE This project attempts to articulate that in Tannhauser, Vennusburg and Wartburg are the same place with two conditions.

The reason I start to think about this issue is when I heard that there are two worlds in this opera: Christian world and Erotic world, which reach two opposite poles. Even though the differences between these two worlds are significant, for my understanding, they share the same structure. And in some versions of this opera, Venus and Elisabeth are acted by one actress, which also makes me think of the relationship between these two worlds.

In the traditional Chinese classic Tao Te Ching, there is a key idea saying “Anti-De Road Dynamic”. One of the meanings is that things go in the opposite direction when they become too extreme. This is my basic setting for my argument. In some moments, Christian world and Erotic World become a circle in Tannhauser. And the two spaces representing these two worlds turn into the condition of ambiguity.

Supposing this assumption is probably convincing, it could provide us with more possibilities to analyze the time, the music, the space, the movement of the figures in the opera.

(Critic: William Germano)

REBIRTH/REVERSIBLE CUP The project aims at operating with the notion of estrangement. An item is chosen from MUJI store and translated into the digital model. The process of the manipulation is to deconstruct and defamiliarize the object, prividing the new narrative in terms of the quality of esthetics.

In this project, a cup is selected and transformed through series of manipulation. By chanllenging the composition and funtionality of a cup, a reversible cup is created. The final step of the project is to create a new unrelated nattrative attaching to the new object, which criticizes and transcends the origin object.

(Partner: Ming Yan, Critic: Micheal Young)

“AUTONOMY” AND JOHN HEJDUK’S WORKS Tutor: Guido Zuliani

AT THE BEGINNING

tice by the categorical “self laws”, not the despotic decrees. From my point of view, the most important

This essay keeps focusing on the discussion of the

issue of “autonomy” from the 19th century is that it

autonomy of architecture which I am interested in

refers to the independence of series of issues such

in western modern architecture. In the content, the

as ideology, human rights, and so on. The reason

autonomy of architecture becomes a clue to follow

to approach “autonomy” is to capture “freedom”.

John Hejduk’s trajectory and understand his works

“Autonomy” and “freedom” cannot be split in these

in a specific angle. The essay begins with the brief

discourses, which will be beneficial for us to under-

introduction of the history of “autonomy” and “the

stand the importance of the articulation of the au-

autonomy of architecture”, then attempts to explore

tonomy in architecture field.

and interpret the meaning of autonomy in Hejduk’s works and figure out how Hejduk made his articu-

When “autonomy” comes to architecture, its mean-

lation by using the autonomy of architectural lan-

ing has been changed in the different eras and

guage. Due to my limits of the relevant context and

different articulations. However, its main essence

knowledge, there should be some misunderstand-

which is related to “freedom” is never ignored. There

ing and uncomprehensive issues, as well as some

are two seemingly ambivalent situations which to-

biased summaries I make in this essay. What I try

gether are led to “autonomy”: architecture as an in-

to do is to approach the reality of Hejduk’s work, as

dependent discipline and the freedom of architec-

closely as I can.

ture.

“AUTONOMY” AND ARCHITECTURE AS A DISCI-

The first one who situated the theme of the auton-

PLINE

omy of architecture is Emil Kaufmann in the 1930s.

He opened the discussion of the autonomy of archi-

Basically, “autonomy” is a concept in political and

tecture according to his analysis of the work of En-

moral philosophy, referring to subjecting oneself

lightenment architect Claude Nicolas Ledoux. For

to objective moral laws. It is the capacity of a ra-

Kaufmann, the manipulation in architecture done

tional individual to make an informed, un-coerced

by Ledoux isolated the formal aspects in architec-

decision. (Wikipedia’s definition of “autonomy”).

ture, for instance, cubic masses, walls, roofs, and

This word indicates the characteristic of determin-

so on. This isolation and the dialogue among these

ing moral responsibility and accountability for one’s

formal elements represented a formal autonomy,

action, which is often used in the philosophical de-

meaning the form in architecture can be treated

scription of the exploration of modernity. In Kant’s

as an independent object to be discussed in this

philosophy, “autonomy” is the principle of the moral.

discipline. In the same era with Kaufmann, Hein-

In his Critique of Pure Reason, “reason” is the pre-

rich Wolfflin, an architectural theorist, was more

occupation of attaining “self knowledge”, insisting

concerned about the disciplinary autonomy in ar-

on an individual has the capacity of achieving jus-

chitecture. He claimed that the Baroque style was

(Figure1: Three of Ledoux Houses) subjected to the political propaganda at that time

Eissenman. In their specific contexts, the meanings

instead of responding to the esthetic of the rational

of the autonomy of architecture depend on their

forms. He also proclaimed the autonomy in Renais-

own interpretations and evolve as their distinctive

sance architecture as the architectural form was

manifestoes in architecture.

absolutely determined by the inner paradigm which was in the discipline of architecture. Albeit we all

NOSTALGIA AND AMERICAN “IDENTITY”: AMER-

know that architectural form cannot be treated as

ICAN ARCHITECTS AND JOHN HEJDUK IN THE

a single, isolated event, and architecture has a very

1960S

strong connection with social, cultural, economic, political aspects, the notion of the autonomy of

When the modernism architecture, accompanied

architecture opens a discussion on what it means

with the notion of the architectural autonomy, came

to view architecture as autonomous. Architecture

to North America, a problematic issue has been

is for architecture’s sake. In my opinion, through

raised and emphasized, which is the identity of

the autonomy of architecture, architects can set

American modern architecture. It is the most im-

up the boundary of the architectural discipline, so

portant thing for American architects to deal with,

as to better understand and develop architecture,

causing their anxiety, especially after the Second

meantime, see how far architecture can go as an in-

World War.

dependent entity.

In the text of the exhibition of New York Five writAfter Kaufmann, a number of architects keep ex-

ten by Colin Rowe, he points out clearly the dilem-

ploring the autonomy of architecture, for instance,

ma that American architects faced in 1970s: the

Manfredo Tafuri, Colin Rowe, Aldo Rossi and Peter

modern architecture in America lost its roots and

(Figure2: Aldo Rossi’s Analogue City and Peter Eissenman’s cardboard house )

soil while in Europe it had an intensively strong

dominate the world. When looking back at human’s

connection with the social reality. It seemed that

history, the development of architecture doesn’t not

in America, there was no need to rise another rev-

have such strictly direct relationship with the devel-

olution to put forwards the progress of “American

opment of technology as the modernism architec-

modern architecture”. However, in the meantime,

ture, especially the international style. Architecture

the zeitgeist of architecture was emphasized and

is bound to have something eternal beyond tech-

architecture was regarded to respond to its specific

nology. Thus, what is that eternal spirit or principle,

era and location. “If modern architecture looked like

how architecture itself can display its own values in

this c. 1930 then it should not look like this today.”

modern society? The post-modern architects and

Rowe mentioned that they were in the presence

theorists chose to look back to the Renaissance,

of anachronism, nostalgia, and frivolity. In another

to ancient Roma. These architects tried to keep

text “European Graffiti” written by Taffuri, “a deep

architecture independent of technology, exploring

sense of nostalgia” is used to explain the situation

the eternal and inner principle itself. For Hejduk, he

in American culture. Tafuri indicates the New York

preferred to think about space made for body, made

Five stood between nostalgia and detachment. To

from body, instead of space made for machine. At

some extent, they tried to make their projects with

this time, these architects introduced “autonomy”

the tag of “American” and “work on the language” of

into the discourse of architectural theory and prac-

architecture. They combined these two issues to

tice. Such kind of notation is necessary for us to

generate a new way to manifest their architecture.

better understand Hejduk and locate the position

The influence of this tendency has inevitably em-

where John Hejduk stayed.

bodied in Hejduk’s works.

I have to say it is difficult to interpret Hejduk’s works Another reason that the American architects since

in a very systematic way. We can trace his thought

the 1960s moved to focus on the autonomy of ar-

by analyzing his manuscripts and sketches.

chitecture is, as Anthony Vidler says, probably most of architects like John Hejduk who suffered from

According to Stan Allen’s opinion in nothing but ar-

the Second World War, as well as the extremely

chitecture, “Hejduk’s refusal of theory is a refusal of

rapid development of technology, felt horror at the

theory understood outside of, or apart from, the op-

impact of technology. They started to rethink about

erational space of its procedures. Hejduk’s practice

what architecture was and what architecture could

of theory gives up totalizing explanations as absur-

bring to humans, believing technology should not

dities. It can only explain itself to itself (The specu-

(Figure3: Five Architects)

lative and the practical, held apart in both the mod-

es”, to “Wall houses”, he tried to operate his own in-

ernist and the classical, are productively collapsed

terpretation to modern architecture by manipulat-

in Hejduk’s work.” Here clearly, what Hejduk pursues

ing and coding his architectural language.

in his work responds to the theme of the autonomy of architecture. In his work. There is no boundary

Compared with Eissenman’s interest in Renais-

between theory and practice. Architecture acting

sance architecture, Hejduk started with the re-

as theoretical texts articulates itself, instead of the

search of the works in the early stage of modernism

ordinary letters in our language. Focusing on auton-

architecture, where Le Corbusier and Mies Van Der

omy of architecture, I try to analyze Hejduk’s works

Rohe stayed. Probably influenced by Colin Rowe’s

in different periods from this specific angle.

“the mathematic of the ideal villa” and “Transparency”, in the sequence of Texas Houses, Hejduk read

FROM “TEXAS HOUSES” TO “WALL HOUSES”:

Corbusier’s and Mies’s architecture as formal ele-

BUILDING UP THE AUTONOMOUS LANGUAGE OF

ments and objects in history, isolating them from

ARCHITECTURE

other surrounding elements. Columns, walls, openings, slabs, stairs, roofs, these concrete elements in

What I understand is in order to achieve autono-

architecture were displaced and manipulated in the

my, the architects like Eissenman, and Hejduk had

nine-grid system. The relationship of different ele-

to invent a new kind of system to manipulate and

ments and programs was emphasized and devel-

articulate the autonomy of architecture. For them,

oped systematically from House 1 to House 7. Here

architecture is not the result of the individual in-

I don’t want to explain each of the houses elabo-

tentions of architects. Instead, it has to rely on an

rately, just mentioning starting from Texas Houses,

eternal principle which guides architects to design

Hejduk attempted to build up the system of his own

and construct. To search for that principle, they

architectural language using the basic architectur-

tried to decode and decipher classical architecture

al elements which are regarded as the autonomous

in ancient Greece and Rome or modern architecture

objects.

in the early stage. Simultaneously, they generated their own coding system to explain the result of

For me, Diamond Houses is the most interesting

their research on that principle. There is no need to

project in Hejduk’s early works, while Texas Hous-

articulate the legitimacy of the system. The coding

es is more fundamental and Wall Houses is more

is only the externalization of the eternal principle.

about personally metaphysics thinking and narra-

For Hejduk, from “Texas houses” to “Diamond hous-

tive. In Diamond Houses, Hejduk achieved a tran-

(Figure4: the Cover of Seven Houses)

scendence from 2-D drawing representation to 3-D

es that Hejduk displays his homage to the history

spatial representation, making the connection from

of cubism and modernism architecture, then from

Mondrian to Corbusier and Mies. “He constructs a

Wall Houses, he sets free of his architecture and

diagram of history of architectural space, declar-

make his architecture become the articulation of

ing the paradigmatic space of the present to be

its own. The architectural elements in Wall Houses

the compression onto a vertical two-dimension-

reorganize themselves creating the new order and

al surface of the space generated by the two legs

the event by their composition and juxtaposition.

of the right angles.” In this projects, the way of his representation, the way of the perception in space

“The event” to express as the result of the subject

begin to construct the structure of the space itself.

formation is emphasized in Wall Houses compared

Time is compressed and dissolved when the dia-

with Rossi’s system in the processes of the object.

mond-plane or the square-isometric view is per-

“It is all encompassing,” he says of the Wall, “it’s an

ceived. There is a moment that we can figure out

expanding universe. It’s emanating from a center;

when the formal manipulation and the perception

it’s an explosive center.” And you are not just looking

of space take place, the viewer begins to be ambigu-

at it: you are in it,” he insists. “You become an ele-

ous and disappearing. Thus we start to think: what’s

ment of an internal system of organisms.”

the position of the architect and the real viewer in this project? Do they stand outside the drawing and

STARTING FROM “VENICE PROJECT”: THE EXTEN-

space? In my opinion, at this time, the architect and

SION OF THE AUTONOMY OF ARCHITECTURE

viewers like us are detached from the architecture, keep a distance from the architecture. The architec-

Since the series of the projects “Masque”, Hejduk

ture becomes to be the viewer and operator of its

started to take architecture as his narrative lan-

own. The aura of architecture is captured by itself,

guage, compared with taking architectural elements

and the autonomy of architecture is the result of

as his articulating language. Hejduk mentioned that

this detachment. It seems that Hejduk sets up the

in the text of Thirteen Towers of Cannaregio in 1979

basic principle of the manipulation and he leaves

his architecture had moved from the architecture of

away letting the diamond house to develop by itself.

optimism to the architecture of pessimism.

Wall houses is the end of these series of the architectural experiments. In Wall houses, Hejduk com-

At this time, architecture is no longer acted as a

pletes his system of the architectural language. If

result of manipulation, becoming the text of a lan-

there is some moments occurring in Diamond hous-

guage. In Hejduk’s architectural language system,

(Figure 5: John Hejduk Texas Houses: House 1-5)

architecture to an architect is as if text to a poet. Ar-

tecture’s sake. In his later works, architecture is as

chitecture transcends its own meaning to narrate.

the memory of human. For Hejduk, the autonomy of

The meaning of the noumenon of architecture gets

architecture is not the end of his whole-life explora-

lost, while it is endowed to a new meaning because

tion, the autonomy of spirit and human is the area

of the system of the language.

he wants to approach and touch. I think in his lateness of his life, he almost was there. [end]

Many times Hejduk insisted on that someone should get into his project when they try to understand it like the Berlin Project, the new and poetic urban elements were inserted into the urban fabric.

At this moment, his architecture gained the right and position equal to humans. His architecture got their souls when they made conversation with humans, archiving the autonomy of architecture.

If we accept such kind of the interpretation, it would be not difficult to understand the existence of the symbolic, uncanny, and mysterious architectural elements in Hejduk’s works, embodying the religion, the ritual ceremony, and the narrative. The meaning of his architecture is deconstructed and dissolved, reaching the place where Hejduk calls “the otherness of architecture”. It’s the exploration about art, literature and our world.

BIBLIOGRAPHY [1] Hays, K. Michael, editor. Hejduk’s chronotope.

I want to point out here is contrast with Eissenman’s

New York: Princeton Architectural Press [for the]

pursuit for the nomenoun of architecture, Hejduk

Canadian Centre for Architecture, 1996.

attempts to dissolve the boundary between sub-

[2] Hays, K. Michael. Architecture’s Desire: Reading

ject and object. The completeness of the narrative

the Late Avant-garde. Cambridge MIT Press 2010.

in his project can be achieved through the interac-

[3] Anthony Vidler. Histories of the Immediate Pres-

tion between the subjective architecture and the

ent: Inventing Architectural Modernism. Cambridge

objective human, like his Venice project shows us.

MIT Press 2008.

The interesting thing for me is finally Hejduk sets

[4] Hejduk, John; edited by Kim Shkapich. Mask of

up his autonomous architectural language to touch

Medusa: works, 1947-1983. New York: Rizzoli, 1985.

the margin of architectural discipline.

[5] Hejduk, John. 7 houses: January 22 to February 16, 1980. New York, N.Y.: Institute for Architecture

CONCLUSION

and Urban Studies, c1979.

[6] Rowe, Colin. Five Architects: Introduction. New

In brief, what does architecture mean for Hejduk?

York: Oxford University Press, 1975.

[7] Manfredo Tafuri. “European Graffiti.” Five x Five =

For me, in his early works, architecture is for archi-

Twenty-five, OPPOSITION 5, MIT Press, 1976

HOME FOR BEING IN TRISTAN UND ISOLDE Tutor: William Germano

Home is a complex and profound concept no mat-

be considered as an activity of metaphor.

ter where it appears. It can always reveal and refer to something deep in our mind. In Richard Wagner’s

Moving back to Tristan und Isolde, as we know, this

opera Tristan und Isolde, when Isolde says, “where

opera was influenced by the philosophy from Arthur

Tristan’s house and home are, that is where Isolde

Schopenhauer, especially the work The World as

will now go (Wo Tristan Haus und Heim, da kehr Isol-

Will and Representation. Wagner used many meta-

de ein)”. The mystery of home and house starts to be

phors to explain the concept of Phenomenon world

raised. Where is Tristan’s home? What is Wagner’s

and Noumenon world in his opera.

concept of Home in this opera? (In this essay, the concept of House is equal to the concept of Home.)

Basically, the intention of what Isolde says is no matter where Tristan is, she would go with him

In search of the meaning of Home and House, I

forever, which is generic to understand. Here, the

would like to quote Gaston Barchelard’s interpre-

specific home and house that Isolde refers to have

tation of House in The Poetics of Space. House has

some profound meanings which are in relation to

its primitiveness while adult life has been so dis-

the plot and the soul of the whole opera. So it’s bet-

posed of the essential benefit. One can experience

ter to elaborate and analyze the meaning of home

House in its reality and in its virtuality by means of

and house step by step, by using the lens from

thought and dreams. House shelters day-dream-

Barchelard, and also to understand Wagner’s inten-

ing, protects dreams and allows on to dream in

tion of using the concept of home and house.

peace, which I think, indicates the function of House: providing space, protection and temporali-

The geometrical space of home is Tristan’s castle.

ty. Barchelard considers that the concept of House

In Act Three, Kurwenal tells Tristan “Yours is the

contains two kinds of space, the geometrical space

house, court and castle! (Dein das Haus, Hof und

and the inhabited space. Generally, the geometrical

Burg!)”. That space is belonged to Tristan, to pro-

space of House is the physical being which protects

tect him from being attacked. That’s why Kurwenal

us from attacks. It’s the actuality of protection with

brings him back. It’s Tristan’s home, in Kurwenal’s

the explicit boundary. “She was all I had to keep and

definition. Tristan wounded and lifeless in his castle

sustain me. We were alone.” At some moment, a

waits for Isolde’s coming. Isolde keeps her promise

house becomes an instrument for us with which to

coming to his geometrical home regardless of any

confront the cosmos. At this time, the house’s virtue

obstacle, and Tristan dies in her arms. Soon after,

of protection and resistance are transposed into

Isolde also comes to death. This geometrical space

human virtue. The house acquires the physical and

is the last place where Tristan and Isolde meet to-

moral energy of a human body. Then, the inhabited

gether and die in the phenomenal world.

space transcends geometrical space. House is the

However, Tristan and Isolde may regard Night as

externalization of human. This kind of the transpo-

their home in the physical world. It’s their dream

sition of the being of a house into human values can

place, love place and their realm of reality. In the day,

they have to pretend as if they do not care for each

ich geh’: im weiten Reich der Weltennacht.)”.

other, like strangers. They have to suppress the desire of love. Only night can give them freedom and

The place where Tristan used to be and supposes to

protection, reaching their fulfilment. In Act Three,

be has the strong connection with Night in the phe-

when Tristan wakes up from his unconsciousness,

nomenon world. If we realize and admit that in Act

he rages against the daylight, asking “when will

One, Tristan drinks the lethal potions for atonement

Night come to the house? (Wann wird es Nacht im

and falls in love with Isolde, he could be regarded as

Haus)”, Night is considered as one of the represen-

being dead, not belonging to the phenomenon world

tation of the home, even though it is boundless. And

any longer. The home where he inhabits should be

this geometrical space starts to link with the in-

where his soul inhabits. And the way that Tristan

habited space which their mind longs for. That’s the

and Isolde can get away from the day and achieve

realm of death.

their external love and reality is through the death.

The realm of death which is the endless night and

In Act Two, when Tristan asks if Isolde would go

the boundless space, becomes the only place which

with him and describes his home to Isolde, Tristan

can protect them forever. It is home for lovers.

doesn’t mention his castle, the geometrical space, what he says is “Where the sun’s light does not

In Act Two, Tristan and Isolde try to die together,

shine; it is the dark land of Night out of which my

while they are captured by King Mark. In Act Three,

mother sent me when he, whom she bore on her

when Isolde comes to Tristan’s castle, Isolde says

deathbed, left her in death to reach the light. From

she has come faithfully to die with Tristan, instead

that which, when she bore me, was her fortress of

of coming to meet Tristan. Death is the home where

love, the wondrous realm of Night, I then awoke (der

they are destined to go. It is the inhabited space

Sonne Licht nicht scheint: es ist das dunkel nächt’ge

where their dream and reality can exist, against the

Land, daraus die Mutter mich entsandt, als, den im

whole phenomenon world.

Tode sie empfangen, im Tod sie liess an das Licht gelangen. Was, da sie mich gebar, ihr Liebesberge

Supposing that the death can provide the protection

war, das Wunderreich der Nacht, aus der ich einst

and resistance for the lovers, the most important

erwacht)”. And the similar description happens in

issue for Tristan and Isolde is “und”, is about love.

Act Three, when Tristan tells Kurwenal, “Is that what

Death is not the last destination for them. The eter-

you think? I know differently but I am not able to tell

nal and pure love is their last destination, the only

you. Where I awoke, there I was not, but where I was

home. The love they seek for is the pure and eternal

I cannot tell you. I did not see the sun, nor did I see

love, the noumenon love. How can they get there?

land and people; but what I did see I cannot tell you.

By death. So in Act Two, they sang together, “longed

I was where I had been before I was and where I am

for death in love (sehnend verlangter Liebestod!).”

destined to go, in the wide realm of the Night of the

Here, the word “Liebestod” is the combination of

world. (Dünkt dich das? Ich weiss es anders, doch

“love (liebes)” and “death (tod)”, meaning the lovers’

kann ich’s dir nicht sagen. Wo ich erwacht, - weilt’

consummation of their love in death or after death.

ich nicht; doch, wo ich weilte, das kann ich dir nicht sagen. Die Sonne sah ich nicht, noch sah ich Land

From my point of view, in the opera, Night in the

und Leute: doch, was ich sah, das kann ich dir nicht

phenomenal world is only the projection of the nou-

sagen. Ich war, wo ich von je gewesen, wohin auf je

menon world. Tristan and Isolde’s love at Night is

only the projection of the noumenon love. In order to

Isolde would like to go, but also Wagner is willing to

achieve the totality of love, they have to transcend

go, fulfilling their dreams.

the phenomenal world. Death is the way to go. At this moment, love and death become the same thing which lead to the eternal noumenon world. So at the end, Isolde sinks gently, as if transfigured in Brangaene’s arms, on to Tristan’s the bodies. Both of them are dead, but being together forever, entering the external home, which will protect their love forever. And I would say at the end of the opera, the geometrical space and inhabited space for them are unified because the existence of love.

In brief, when we come back to Barchelard’s idea, a home is the being with which to confront the cosmos and providing the protection. In Tristan und Isolde, the meaning of the home embodies this function no matter what the representation of the home is. The home protects their love and finally love becomes their home. The virtue of the home is transposed into the human’s virtue. The totality of the home is the totality of love.

What’s more, what is the function of home for Wagner’s intention in this opera? That’s where I try to explore and go a little further.

Wagner was inspired by the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer. Except indicating the existence of eternal love, as well as the noumenon world, the function of home for the composition of the whole

BIBLIOGRAPHY

opera is in respond to his idea of the endless music

[1] Gaston Bachelard. The Poetics of Space. Beacon

in his opera metaphysically.

Press Books, 1994 [2] Barry Millington, Wagner, Princeton University

When Tristan and Isolde both are dead, they go

Press, 1998

to their home, the realm of the noumenon world,

[3] The Libretto, including the translation version of

where their songs keep playing and never end. As

Tristan and Isolde is from the website: http://www.

audience, we cannot hear them as we are not in that

rwagner.net/libretti/tristan/e-t-tristan.html .

world. But they are still there, in Wagner’s intention.

[4]Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristan_ und_Isolde#Influence_of_Schopenhauer_on_

Therefore, the home is not only where Tristan and

Tristan_und_Isolde

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