waiwai: Follies

Follies i​s a display of built and unbuilt projects by Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto, principals of ​waiwai​ (formerly known as ibda design), an architectural practice with roots in the U.A.E and Japan. Taking over the Socotra and Chiuhahan Gardens, the display showcases architectural models that highlight ​waiwai​’s commitment to deep research and to exploring the tensions between form and function.

In 1962, Japanese architect Kazuo Shinohara’s controversial declaration that “a house is a work of art” marked a juncture in the architectural field. ​Shinohara’s intentional use of the word “art” detached the house from notions of economic efficiency and mass production, ideals that subsumed architectural practice in the 1960s. ​Likening the practice of architecture to art enabled discussions of efficiency, value and the market, and the potential to explore inefficiency as a driver for creative, idea driven architecture. The title of this exhibition, ​Follies​, references the architectural folly: a costly ornamental building or structure with no practical purpose.