Qua Pavilion

Contemporary İstanbul, İstanbul, Turkey

Installation, 2023

The heavier the burden, the closer our lives come to the earth. (...) What then shall we choose? Weight or lightness?

- Milan Kundera

The randomly shaped natural forms of stones, the cavities that formed our first shelters, the patterns appearing on rocks that triggered our creativity, have promised us stability and continuity throughout human history. Their durability and strength that outlive us, defined our relationship with them. The permanence of stone and the ephemerality of human existence have been intertwined throughout history via rituals, mythology, art, literature, architecture and all aspects of human life.

Inspired by the ancient Caryatids, the Pavilion reconsiders the relationship between stone and human in light of the contemporary interpretations of the material. The Pavilion was constructed by repurposing the defective material occurring in the manufacturing process of the Qua Granite factory. Approximately 2,800 ceramic tiles were stacked on top of each other, forming three load-bearing, sculptural columns, each weighing around 15 tons.The painterly structures are covered by a delicate, light-weight aluminum canopy that defines the architectural space. The design challenges the fundamental properties and traditional practices of building materials. Reminiscent of caryatids which integrate the human figure into the composition of buildings, these masses shoulder the architectural burden of the pavilion with their abstract forms.

This space is an invitation to reconsider the potential of an ancient technology in the future of architecture. Conceived as a structure that opens up space for the viewer, this formation aims to address the relationship between the object of art and architecture in a novel context.