Unveiled

In architecture schools, the subject of polychromy is rarely ever, if at all, touched upon. Western aesthetics have been strongly affected by the praise and demonstration of Greek art and architecture as purely white, it has made us afraid of color. Nevertheless, the presence of color in architecture that has been admired as white for centuries, needs to be acknowledged. Whether to simply question what we know as truth, or to slowly lift the veil of white-monochrome color treatments in our architectural aesthetics, teaching polychromy would keep schools honest and students well-informed.

The exhibition challenges what is taught as fact and displays the actual truth of Greek polychromy. The visitor is taken through three fundamental parts: first, acknowledging whites, then unveiling the truth and finally processing color. The first part exhibits a fake scene of Greek ruins that seems real from afar, but are actually the wrong scale and made of fabric. The visitor then enters the pavilion by sifting through veil curtains. In the pavilion, Ancient Greek architectural fragments with traces of color are shown in individual labs that students can use for close up studying. They are accompanied by historic study drawings of colored greek architecture. Finally, towards the back of the pavilion, visitors have access to a flex space that encourages discussions and research on polychromy and color in western aesthetics.