literature review final 2

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GRAPHIC NOVEL AND

JEAN NOUVEL

Shravan Vaidyanath 13001894

Research Philosophy for Design P30026

Literature Review



Introduction

Architecture exists in two worlds—in the real

world as built projects and in a ficonal world

as paper architecture. Architecture is wrien

through different mediums such as literature,

film, science ficon, comic books and as an

autobiography of personal experiences. Wring

architecture through other media is an inter-disci-

plinary research method. It is disnguished from

scienfic or arsc research in that it could be

generave or proposional in nature, rather than

as a means to find a soluon to a pre-determined

problem (Rendell, 2004, p146). It is an important

part of the process of architectural design termed

by Donald Schon (1984, p5) as “reflecon-in-

acon”—the act of describing a situaon throughother mediums serves as a means of crical

evaluaon, allowing one to see new informaon.

Architect and writer, Kester Raenbury (2002,

p21-24) considers the pracce of “treang un-

built, imaginary designs as architecture is essen-

al to the design process as taught in the western

world.” As a work of architectural ficon, it is able

to retain certain characteriscs such as its ideal-

isc or utopian qualies that might be lost during

its translaon into a built work (Raenbury,2002

p21-24). Paper architecture through its ability to

portray a strong architectural vision can be as in-

fluenal as architecture itself (Raenbury, 2002,

p21-24). This literature review is focused on the

graphic novel, as used by Architect Jean Nouvel,

as a medium of inter-discplinary research.

As documented by Melanie van der Hoorn in

her book Bricks and Balloons: architecture in

strip form (2012), graphic novels have been usedby a number architects as a means of research,

communicaon and architectural ficon. While

it is obvious that the medium of the comic strip

is structured in a linear fashion, its use as an

architectural research methodology isn’t neces-

sarily limited to the development of sequenal

narraves. Through its informality and direct-

ness of communicaon, it becomes a medium

that liberates architecture from the limitaon

of tradional architectural representaons

(Hoorn,2012, p12).

In an exhibion at the Louisiana Museum in

Denmark, Nouvel presented three of his proj-

ects in comic strip form—the proposal for an

urban park in Les Halle, the waterfront develop-

ment of Valencia, and the Alcantara Mar Hous-

ing in Lisbon. All three projects as yet remain

unbuilt. The comics were presented under the

tle “Dreams for the City”.(Hoorn, 2012,p51)Given that the comics were commissioned aer

his design proposal, what does he look to learn

from envisioning them through a different me-

dia? Does it maer that the comics was drawn

by other cartoonists rather than by Nouvel

himself?

Nouvel and Inter-displinarity

The comic strip has a long history within the dis-

cipline of architecture as the preferred form of

communicaon for architectural counter-culture

as seen in its use by archigram, superstudio,

archizoom, Rem Koolhaas (Coates, 2012, p40).

Narrave illustraon itself has undergone a pe-

riod of cultural transion from being perceived

as an underground medium for slapsck or

superheroes in comic books and magazines to a

more serious and mainstream medium of book

length “graphic novel”, now included in recom-mended reading lists and exisng as a medium

in itself (Bell and Sinclair, 2005,p4). While earlier

use of comics in architecture could be seen as

provocave, it is much more established within

mainstream contemporary pracce.

Nouvel (1997,p54) views today’s posion of

architecture as disnct from previously estab-

lished theories. He states that the “aesthec

interplay of forms amuses no one”. As in the

statement below, he ascribes to an inter-disci-

plinary as a means of capturing the intangible

elements of contemporary culture

“We need other intellectual means, a re-

quesoning of outdated cultural models. Ar-

chitecture cannot be treated anymore as an

autonomous discipline that would funcon

on materials, techniques or recognized types,

obeying rules that could be declined or con-

fronted. Today all that has exploded, thereare no more recipes. The architect must first

of all make a diagnosis, steeping himself in

parameters external to his discipline in its

strict sense” (Chaslin, 1998, p18)

Nouvel has a long standing relaonship with

theater director Jacques le Marquet, cric Olivi-

er Bossiere and architect Hubert Tonka (Morgan

and Nouvel, 1998). He consults with them in

the early stages of his projects in order to de-

velop a sensivity towards the site, to explore

different approaches but he maintains that he

always makes a choice based on his personal

imaginaon of the issues discussed (Morgan

and Nouvel, 1998). His use of the comic strip for

redrawing his own designs is surprising for two

reasons- that the comics wasn’t used earlier in

the design process, and due to his statement

that he is less interested in paper architecture

than in seeing his projects built. (Casciani and

Nouvel, 2010, p36)

GRAPHIC NOVEL AND JEAN NOUVEL

1



Fictional urbanism

The first project under review here is a master

plan scheme for the waterfront development

of Valencia. The cartoons were penned by then

students, Francois Henninger, Tony Neveux and

Florian Teyssie (Hoorn, 2012 p165). The comic is

superimposed onto a site plan making a direct

correlaon between the images and their loca-

on in reality.

Nouvel, in reality, views large urban projects as

best pursued through a principle of modifica-

on and reflecon, keeping the strategy and the

intent flexible.(Chaslin, 1998, p18).

“A city has to move a bit at a me that is by

iteraon, by alteraon, by substuon or by

revelaon” (Casciani, Nouvel, 2010, p37)

The comics for Valencia Litoral present a dream

where Nouvel, the protagonist of the story, wakesup late for a meeng and then rushes from the

centre of the city towards the coast comment-

ing on his percepons of the context and the

proposal. There is a strong sequenal quality to

the comics. Nouvel is seen interacng with the

people who are part of the landscape, joining a

crowd in a procession along the way. The struc-

ture here becomes a reference to the intent

of the masterplan to integrate the sporadic

urban development of Valencia. In establishing

a ficonal story and a protagonist, it combines

words with images somemes to add a subjec-

ve dimension to evaluate works of architec-

ture, to arculate cricism about the conceptsand ideas behind buildings (Hoorn, 2012, p26).

It also presents architectural theory in a form

that is more accessible to the public and by

establishing a dialogue includes the users views

as a part of the design process. (Madrilenian

Andres Jacques in Hoorn, 2012,p10)

It is oen the case that architects present their

projects in a raonal manner, going from the

condions and the needs of the brief to their

response to the quesons that are asked of

them (Hoorn, 2012, p165). Architect and film-

maker Jord den Hollander (in Hoorn, 2012,

p165) considers presenng an architectural

project through a personal narrave as speak-

ing at a more emoonal level. He proposes that

architects should work more like arsts and

film maker who primary concern is about com-

municang their feelings toward a story. He (in

Hoorn,2012, p165) believes that this approach

has the potenal to make architecture “much

looser, more intriguing and unpredictable”.

Nouvel, in the end of the comic, is seen throw-

ing a bole into the sea, a metaphor that hedoes not wish to impose his views onto the city

but to “wait unl someone picks up the idea

or unl the project begins to lead a life of its

own” (Hoorn, 2012, p169). This metaphor is the

cartoonist’s interpretaon of Nouvel’s view of

urbanism and is intended to remind the read-

ers that they were looking at a ficonal project

than a realized one (Hoorn. 2012, p169). This

comic serves to get a crique of Nouvel’s work

from the point of view of a cartoonist rather

than to communicate the scheme through his

personal narrave.

Fig 1: Valencia Litoral comic from the Louisiana Manifesto Exhibion

2



People and Landscape

The second set of comics exhibited by Nouvel

at the Louisiana Museum was a rendering of his

proposal for a public park and shopping centre

for a site in Les Halles in the centre of Paris. The

site had long been a diffi cult problem for urban

planners beginning in 1972 with the decision of

then President Charles de Gaulle to replace the

covered food markets that had occupied the site

for a century (Redecke, 2005, p78; Sowa, 2004,p56). It was an aempt to modernize the urban

fabric between the Communies Exchange and

the Saint Eustache Church that would portray a

mobile centre (Redecke, 2005, p79). This was met

with protests from the public but the markets

were removed nevertheless (Redecke, 2005, p79).

With the cast iron and glass structures removed,

the excavated site was occupied by infrastructure

composed of RER, Metro staon and four levels

of underground shopping centre. The site was

referred to by the public pejoravely as the big

“hole”(Redecke, 2005, p79). Later proposals from

President Georges Pompidou for an internaonal

Fig 2: Site map of the proposal; FIg 3: Aerial view of the proposal for Valencia; Fig 4 (below): Overview of the proposal for Les Halles, Paris

3



trade centre and his successor Valery Giscard

d’Estaing’s call for a housing development was

met with protests (Redecke, 2005, p80). Under

the term of the mayor Jacques Chirac, it was

earmarked to become an urban park (Redecke,

2005, p80).

Nouvel’s proposal of 2003 was a response to

a compeon brief that called for an integra-

on of the new urban park with the confusing

labyrinth of circulaon spaces underground to

establish a connecon with the shopping centre

(Redecke,2005, p82). It proposed a raised ar-

ficial landscape supported by a “forest” of con-

crete columns at the height of the eaves of the

neighbouring buildings (Redecke, 2005, p82).

Nouvel had lile if any direct influence on car-toonist Tanino Liberatore’s fresco (Hoorn, 2012,

p51). Agreeing with Nouvel that there would be

no point in producing a faithful reproducon of

the original, the arst took the liberty to form

his own interpretaon of the proposed scheme

(Hoorn, 2012, p51). The use of the graphic novel

is also seen as freeing architectural representa-

on from the tradional modes of representa-

on using plans and secons. Being seen as an

informal way of communicaon, it isn’t neces-

sary to maintain strict proporonal relaons

between the proposed architecture and the

other elements such as the landscape and thepeople in the scene.

The medium is used here to give a more poec

quality to the drawings allowing the message

of the architect and the design intent to be

conveyed much more effecvely. Viewing Nou-

vel’s work as “public” and “open”, Liberatore’s

graphic gives more emphasis to the people

inhabing the space. Liberatore (Hoorn, 2012,

p51) decribes the exercise as having resulted

in ‘a feeling much more than a real building’. Inthis process, the forest of columns is removed

and the landscape is shown as floang in air.

The use of false perspecve modifying the rela-

onship in proporon between the people and

the buildings is a result of the sensibility of the

cartoonist in an aempt to give the drawings a

sense of narrave (Hoorn, 2012, p51).

The drawings that formed the original proposal

was not accompanied by comics or other forms of

inter-disciplinary research. The comics were com-

missioned specifically for the Louisiana Exhibion

two years later (Hoorn, 2012, p51). It is henceused as a method for reflecng on earlier propos-

als, possibly as a means to inform a future proj-

ect. The choice of the medium could have been

a response to the original architectural drawings

being termed as “freakish”(Redecke,2005). Given

the history of planning problems of this site and

the views of the public on the various propos-

als, it is necessary to make sure that the design

is conveyed effecvely through an appropriate

medium of illustraon. The comics hence serve

a dual purpose—as a study on urban planningvisualizaons and how to bring together differ-

ent scales: the big city and the human dimension.

(Hoorn, 2012, p51)

5



Atmosphere

Melanie Van der Hoorn (2012, p 212) describes

as an important aspect of narrave illustraon

as bringing words and images closer together.

There is however another style called silent

narraves where the story is conveyed purely

through images (Bell and Sinclair, 2005, p4).

Silent narraves, used since ancient mes, have

a stronger sequenal quality to them although

they do allow for individual imaginaons and

interpretaons of the story that is presented

(Bell and Sinclair, 2005, p4).

The third project of Nouvel’s projects where we

see the use of the graphic novel is the Alcantara

Mar housing project in Lisbon. Drawn through a

collaboraon with cartoonist Xavier Lowenthal,

it was an aempt to study the atmosphere of

the context (Hoorn, 2012, p171). His proposal is

composed of four perimeter blocks. The result-ing courtyards were characterized as ‘Coconut

Palm’, ‘Parasol, ‘Fountain’ and ’White’ plazas

(Hoorn,2012, p171). The comic became a means

of exploring ways to integrate the proposal with

the context by emphasizing the “strong con-

trast between plants and minerals, the old city

and the new, dark and light, warm and cold”

(Hoorn,2012, p171).

Nouvel (1997, p52-63) perceives a strained

relaonship between architects and the gen-

eral public. Architectural theory, developed

under the assumpon of architecture as an

autonomous discipline, is inaccessible to

non-architects, thereby marginalizing role of

architects and architecture alike (Nouvel, 1997

p52-63). Nouvel (1997, p52-63) states that an

architect needs to choose the content of his

architecture, not from the tradional perspec-

ves of history, mythology or religion, but from

what is felt by its inhabitants. This can only be

done so by looking towards other mediums

of communicaon, to draw on personal and

cultural projecon of architecture as a starng

point for imagining the stories that architecture

can communicate (Nouvel, 1997, p52-63). The

proposal here is hence re-imagined from the

point of view of a man and a woman who travel

through the neighbourhood and meet in one

of the courtyards. The background is formed

by anecdote showing scenes from everyday

life. The story is communicated purely through

images. Silent narraves precisely with this lack

of copy, serve to destabilize any linear sense of

me and space giving a spooky atmoshpere to

the drawings. (Bell, Sinclair, 2005,p65)

The comic again acts as a medium that is able

to communicate far more about the use of

the spaces than a convenonal architectural

drawing. The arst explains that his inten-

on was to convey the sensuality of bodies

through free hand lines (Hoorn,2012,p171).

This is something he believes that is diffi cult

to explore tradional architectural drawing

which he terms as “cold” (Hoorn,2012,p171).

He explains that the illustraon also becomes a

study of light as the colours in reality in Por-

tugal are “strikingly intense due to the bright

light”(Hoorn,2012,p171).

FIg 8: Narrave illustraon by Xavier Lowenthal for the Alcantara Housing in Lisbon, exhibited at the Louisiana Museum

6



Conclusion

Terri Whitehead (2005, p68) in reviewing the

comics at the exhibion as “entertaining but

offering lile understanding of Nouvel’s working

methods”. The fact that these illustraons were

done post the inial proposals (Hoorn, 2012,

p51) shows its use as a medium for reflecve

crique rather than generaon. It is clear that

in all three projects, the comics were used to

reflect on the interacon between people and

his proposals. The comic serve as a study of

urbanism rather than the internal workings of

an individual piece of architecture. Although

the illustraons for the Valencia Litoral and the

Alcantara Mar Housing have narraves, the

ordering of spaces themselves do not form part

of a sequenal elaboraon of a story. They are

instead used to explore the differences in the

character and atmosphere of different parts

of an urban realm. The rendering of spaces incomic form aempts to show his proposals in

a poec light. This is something that tradional

architectural drawings are unable to capture.

By commissioning others to pen the illustraon,

it is clear that the graphic novel isn’t used to de-

velop personal narraves. The arsts have been

give full freedom to make their own interpreta-

on of Nouvel’s proposals (Hoorn, 2012, p51,

171, 159). Although Nouvel works consistently

collaborates with Le Marquet, Boissiere and

Tonka regularly, they are considered as con-

sultants rather than co-designers (Morgan and

Nouvel, 1998, p178-180). They act as advisers

who give their input on specific aspects of thedesign (Morgan and Nouvel, 1998, p178-180).

The comic arsts fill a similar role acng as

specialists who bring their interpretaons of the

interacon between Nouvel’s designs and the

acvies and narraves that could fill the space.

The interpretaons become part of a number of

inter-related aspects that Nouvel then process-

es into an architectural concept.

The comics do not aempt to create a ficonal

architecture but rather explore plausible pro-

posals from a plurality of viewpoint, aiming to

explore the views of a proposal by non-archi-

tects. While there is lile evidence of Nouvel

directly using the results of the research from

these illustraons in any subsequent project,

it does show the graphic novel as a means for

tesng proposals against their ability to sustain

narraves and engaging with non-architects.

Given that the comics were part of urban proj-

ects which usually develop over a number of

years, it is possible that the intenon was to use

this informaon at a later stage. But for whatev-

er reasons, most likely the state of the economyin Europe, it is unfortunate that the projects

haven’t made any progress since the exhibion.

FIg 9: Enlarged secon of the comics

7



Illustrations

Fig 1: Available online at Typotony, hp://www.

typotony.com/illustraon/valencia-litoral-mur-

de-6x13m-pour-les-ateliers-jean-nouvel-lors-de-

la-retrospecve-au-louisiana-museum-realise-

avec-francois-henninger-et-florian-teyssie/,Accessed on 04 Nov 2013.

Fig 2: Available online from Nómada, blog

de Juan Freire, hp://nomada.blogs.com/

jfreire/2005/05/valencia_litora.html

Accessed on 04 nov 2013

Fig 3: Available online from Nómada, blog

de Juan Freire, hp://nomada.blogs.com/

jfreire/2005/05/valencia_litora.html

Accesses on 04 nov 2013

Fig 4: Sowa, Axel (2004). Paris-Les Halles ou

comment donner du coeur au ventre, Architec-

ture d’aujourd’hui, n.352, p.56-59.

Fig 5: Atelier Jean Nouvel, Michel Desvignes

(paysagiste) et Nicolas Michelin (architecte),

Architecture d’aujourd’hui, n.352, p.70

Fig 6: Atelier Jean Nouvel, Michel Desvignes(paysagiste) et Nicolas Michelin (architecte),

Architecture d’aujourd’hui, n.352, p.70

Fig 7: Hoorn, Melanie van der. (2012). Brick and

Balloons: architecture in comic strip form. Rot-

terdam: 010 publishers

Fig 8: Available online from Ilmanouch at hp://

www.ilanmanouach.com/porolio/louisiana-

manifesto, Accessed on 04 Nov 2013

Fig 9:Available online at 5c, hp://www.5c.be/

annales.php?news_id=28&, Accessed on 04 Nov

2013

Bibliography

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and Words: new comic art and narrave illustra-

on. London: Laurence King

Boissiere, Olivier. (1996). Jean Nouvel . Paris:

Terrail

Coates, Nigel (2012) Narrave Architecture.

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Hoorn, Melanie van der. (2012). Brick and Bal-

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dam: 010 publishers

Jodidio, Philip (2009). Jean Nouvel by Jean Nou-

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