11° east
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On the advice of Jørn Utzon, Sverre Fehn travelled to Morocco in 1952. The influence on his own work of the architecture he experienced in Morocco is well documented by Fehn and scholars alike. His own essay published in the same year of his travel on the architecture of Morocco is a testament to the influence. It is clear from the scholarship that Fehn learned as much about himself and his Norwegian identity as he did the “primitive” architecture of Morocco. A decade later, Fehn travelled to Venice for the opening of the Nordic Pavilion at the 1962 Biennale. While in Italy he met with Carlo Scarpa and toured the recently renovated Castelvecchio museum in Verona. Less studied is the influence of Fehn’s trip to Venice and, for example Scarpa’s museum on Fehn’s own work and, specifically, the Storhamarlåven in Hamar. This essay will demonstrate the intersections that exist between the two museums designed by Scarpa and Fehn. Importantly, the intersections reveal as much about the specificity of place and identity as they do the ability to transcend both. Oddly enough, both museums intersect at 11 degrees east. |