How I wish I could have seen Gordon Matta-Clark’s death traps in the flesh
Architecture can’t be exhibited, other than indirectly in drawings, models and photographs. But this is even more true for Gordon Matta-Clark and his anarchitecture: drastic, geometric cuts carved out of derelict buildings that exist fleetingly, before being demolished with the buildings soon after. For the bulk of us not lucky enough to have experienced their monumentality in the flesh, his notoriety is established by his records. A new exhibition at the De La Warr Pavilion presents a modest slice of his vast archives. Matta-Clark’s architectural training at Cornell must have left him with a healthy contempt for the architectural establishment.
