The View

The View, was commissioned by the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) for the exhibition /𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦: 𝘈 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘝𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭⁠.

”The View is a new project by Genevieve Goffman developed specifically for this exhibition. The sculptural installation addresses the turn of the century in Vienna and the rise of modernism. Inspired by the writings of—and controversy surrounding—Adolf Loos, the work explores the idea of "The Architect" as a figure fighting to ideologically define both the present and the future through modern architecture. The narration draws on the influence that Loos had on Red Vienna as well as the contrast between the architect's interior and exterior spaces, suggesting a vast difference between the private and the public.
In The View, two miniature façades with balconies are juxtaposed on a large pedestal. One balcony is occupied—in reference to Loos—by a male figure gazing into the distance at a world yet to be designed. The interior exudes authority with the use of hardwood, marble, and ornate furniture. The other balcony—quoting the residential buildings of Red Vienna—is occupied by a female figure looking into an uncertain future with a sense of optimism and excitement. As architect and theoretician Beatriz Colomina writes in Sexuality and Space (1992): "Architecture is not simply a platform that accommodates the viewing subject. It is a viewing mechanism that produces the subject. It precedes and frames its occupant."
Goffman works with detailed digital 3D models, which she then presents in miniature 3D prints, often combined with other materials and unexpected elements. For this display, she created a custom base for the two balconies, which becomes part of the work itself. A row of windows are mounted on the pedestal, making it look like a palace or a baroque state building and symbolically creating the basis for the questions of modernity that "sit" on it.”

/𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦: 𝘈 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘝𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭⁠. was curated by Bika Rebek, and Marlies Wirth