The Living Room Open to the City Leilah Stone On the corner of North Miami Avenue and 40th street, at the edge of the Design District, stands a "contemporary ruin" of what used to be a playfully pink architectural intervention titled "The Living Room". The project was designed in 2001 by Argentinean architects Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt of R&R Studios. The project began as a warehouse renovation, but the main focus is the large public installation at the building’s corner, blurring the lines between art, architecture, and monument. The piece is called the Living Room because the architects had inverted the corner of the building, and through exaggerated scale of domestic imagery created a space that opened up to the street as a sort of "home" for the community. It is a home turned inside out with two forty foot walls enveloping oversized stainless steel lamps, a red concrete sofa, and a five foot tall clock, and a twelve foot tall window that frames views of the ever changing Miami sky. An actual fabric curtain hangs down over what looks like floral wallpaper but is actually hundreds of individually handpainted, pink flowers. The Living Room is an example of an architecture that asks questions, that reevaluates the meaning and role of public life and spaces, and that considers the state of American cities. The Living Room and other works by R&R propose "imaginary solutions for a better world". 1 by creating work that has a strong basis in creativity, diversity, and inclusion. The architects believe that The Living Room blends the public and the personal, that once something becomes personal 1 R&R Studios, “Studio Profile and Brief Biographies,” Accessed December 15, 2015, http://www.rr- studios.com/profile.html . David Sokol, “Form Follows Fear”, Architonic.
Transcript
The Living Room Open to the City
Leilah Stone
On the corner of North Miami Avenue and 40th street, at the edge of the Design District,
stands a "contemporary ruin" of what used to be a playfully pink architectural intervention titled
"The Living Room". The project was designed in 2001 by Argentinean architects Roberto Behar
and Rosario Marquardt of R&R Studios. The project began as a warehouse renovation, but the
main focus is the large public installation at the building’s corner, blurring the lines between art,
architecture, and monument. The piece is called the Living Room because the architects had
inverted the corner of the building, and through exaggerated scale of domestic imagery created a
space that opened up to the street as a sort of "home" for the community. It is a home turned
inside out with two forty foot walls enveloping oversized stainless steel lamps, a red concrete
sofa, and a five foot tall clock, and a twelve foot tall window that frames views of the ever
changing Miami sky. An actual fabric curtain hangs down over what looks like floral wallpaper
but is actually hundreds of individually handpainted, pink flowers.
The Living Room is an example of an architecture that asks questions, that reevaluates
the meaning and role of public life and spaces, and that considers the state of American cities.
The Living Room and other works by R&R propose "imaginary solutions for a better world".1 by
creating work that has a strong basis in creativity, diversity, and inclusion. The architects believe
that The Living Room blends the public and the personal, that once something becomes personal
1 R&R Studios, “Studio Profile and Brief Biographies,” Accessed December 15, 2015,http://www.rr-studios.com/profile.html. David Sokol, “Form Follows Fear”, Architonic.
people begin to take ownership and care of their spaces.2 Their work could be seen as just one
optimistic exploration of what it could possibly mean to live in an "open city".
The Living Room blurs the lines between architecture and art but also the lines between
public and domestic, home and monument, the real and the fantastic. The creators Roberto Behar
and Rosario Marquardt, too, exist as a duality. He as the architect and she as the artist. Although
Marquardt is primarily a painter, the projects could not have been conceived without both minds
working together. This is apparent even by the way they speak in interviews, as they often
excitedly agree with one another and finish each other’s thoughts. By blurring the lines between
art and architecture the architects create an opportunity for more inclusive readings and
interpretations of their work. Their work does not set out to be strictly programmatic or strictly
functional, but to allow multiple interpretations as it is rooted more in symbolism and imagery,
or what could be described as "architectural folly". Writer Julieta Gonzalez explains, "The space
of the folly is not the city proper but the park, the fairground, or the theme park. These are spaces
of fantasy, where the dynamics of real life are set aside in order to enact the desires of the city
and its dwellers, for progress, for well being, and for another world where the impossible does
not exist."3
The success in the Living Room comes from its ability to raise questions and provoke
thoughts about the cities we inhabit. While a lot of their work could be described as
characteristically Miami, many of the questions that arise can be applied to the broader scope of
American cities through topics such as permanence, placemaking, and the nature of our public
spaces as well as who is using the spaces. Marquardt and Behar believe that America is in need
2 Roberto Behar, “Imaginary Solutions for a Better World”, Presentation for “ArTalks” at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA, April 19, 2012.
3 Julieta Gonzalez, “Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt Journey into the City,” Art Nexus, Vol. 6 issue 65 (2007): 76-80.
for an improved public life, that it is something we desire as a society, but something that we do
not necessarily receive from our public spaces. Behar states in an interview with Architonic,
"There is an incredible want for public life, for friendship, for meeting someone in the street and
saying 'hi' – it’s a kind of mythical America that lives within each one of us. Our projects
interpret that need, and help give it form."4 In the same interview with, the team was asked how
the Living Room resonates with people coming from different cities, to which Marquardt replied,
"I think the idea of an open home is what captures people’s imagination[...]Today Miami is
becoming enclosed, gated, and privatized, and forcing us to move in cars from one place to
another. 'The Living Room' is a life without limits."5 It is possible for the imaginatory experience
that one gets when standing in The Living Room to occur in the numerous cities in which R&R
has work.
The duo does seem to embody the optimistic idea of "life without limits" in all of their
work as they aim to create, sometimes utopic, sometimes surreal, “solutions for better living”.
Comparing the Living Room to the reality of Miami as a city, people are forced to realize that
quite often public spaces are not inviting and may not offer equal opportunity for all visitors.
Marquardt speaks of common problem that is inherent in even the outdoor seating we are
provided with, "Where there are benches, they are subdivided so that people cannot sleep on
them. It’s so mean when you think about it. What if I want to take a nap? I could be
misconstrued as a homeless person, and presumably a homeless person is dangerous."6 They aim
to create architecture and urban interventions where multiplicity is key, that brings all types of
4 David Sokol, “'Form follows fear': in conversation with Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt,” Architonic. Accessed December 15, 2015. http://www.architonic.com/form_print/nt/54001/7000470/0/0.5 Ibid.,6 Ibid.,
people together, as well as an architecture that is open to interpretation by each one of those
people.
There remains an optimistic outlook for Miami in particular because it is such a young
city, under 100 years old, and very much still in its foundational years. Miami also has a strong
sense of diversity. Behar explains, "People are coming here from everywhere, full of memories
and desires. When I was in New York, I saw no way of changing the city; here, there's an
opportunity to think about what the future could be like."7 The Living Room, along with other
works by the studio speak to the emotions of the community, taking into consideration the many
citizens of Miami who have been uprooted from their original homes. Because R&R Studios
recognizes a need for public life in America and the importance of being able to stop and chat
with someone on the street, their work is a commentary on the characteristics of Miami that
prohibit such neighborly communication. The sprawling suburban landscape that the city has
become limits the chances of public social interaction. While Miami consists of multiple
perspectives from the diverse population, the sprawling nature inhibits the sense of community
and friendship. While people enjoy the outdoor life of Miami Beach, the city itself lacks public
squares and plazas, simply because Miami was built around the automobile. By creating this
outdoor living space, R&R creates a public space calling attention to the fact that Miami is a city
with an option to have a better public life, if people are willing to step out of their air conditioned
interiors to enjoy the outdoors.8
In its current state, the warehouse that was previously attached to the Living Room has
been demolished, leaving the corner sculpture to stand on its own, emphasizing even further the
studio’s multidisciplinary approach to building. What is left is perhaps more of a ruin of a
7Michael Webb, “A Public Display of Affection,” Metropolis 15.5 December (1995): 56-57, 69. 8 Julieta Gonzalez, “Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt Journey into the City,” Art Nexus, Vol. 6 issue 65 (2007): 76-80.
monument of an idea, than an actual public square. Julieta Gonzalez describes it is a
“contemporary ruin” that was built as gentrification was sinking into the “gritty” neighborhood
North of Downtown. What was once an empty neighborhood devoid of life on the streets was
now making room for a new marketed artist community as well as other commercial endeavors.
Ever since the 1920s Art Deco boom, the neighborhood was called “Decorators Row” as it was
filled with design showrooms. The developer behind its transformation back into a design district
was Craig Robins, who in the 1990s began to purchase and restore the vacant showrooms almost
single handedly seeking out the neighborhoods new tenets.9 He is also the one who approached
Roberto and Rosario and gave them permission to take the corner and do whatever they
wanted.10
The Living Room still dominates the corner of the empty lot, but has completely
transformed as the growing community surrounding it takes authorship over the space. Now the
pastel pink walls are covered up with black paint and graffiti, the window is closed up with
concert posters, and the walls have been transformed into a bulletin board of advertisements. One
may wonder why R&R doesn't make an effort to maintain the corner, eliminate the dark image it
has now and restore the cheery, floral walls to their original state. But the creators were aware of
this type of transformation since the beginning of the project, knowing that weather would take
its toll and the building and the new neighborhood would redecorate their living room and update
its meaning.11
Behar believes that Miami can truly be a model for other cities in the future, and that
“Miami may be the prototype for what American cities will look like a century from now, with
9 Mark Ellwood, “Miami Nice.” Wallpaper*, October 2003. 10 Roberto Behar, “Imaginary Solutions for a Better World”, Presentation for “ArTalks” at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA, April 19, 2012.11 Julieta Gonzalez, “Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt Journey into the City,” Art Nexus, Vol. 6 issue 65 (2007): 76-80.
residents from other countries bringing new languages, interests and values to transform the
culture, economy and landscape.”12 But is it all too utopic? Are R&R’s creative ideals for the city
too dreamlike, too unattainable to pave the way for what could possibly be a truly open city?
After all for such a young city with potential, Miami has also had its fair share of racial and
political tension, drug violence, and high poverty rates. It is a sprawling suburb with hardly any
sense of community. Some would go so far to say that it is entirely artificial in its nature, and
that the whole city is a shopping mall where the year round climate is air conditioning.13 While it
might be a ethnically diverse, The New York Times suitably stated that it is by no means a
melting pot. Some may think the transformation of Miami’s Design District over the past decade
is hopeful and a good sign, others could say it’s gentrifying.
Behar said that his proudest moment was when he witnessed a family from Haiti taking a
family portrait in the Living Room as if it was theirs, telling him they were taking it to send to
their family back home. Perhaps Roberto and Rosario’s “imaginary solutions” are strictly
imaginary, made up by the architects, rather than speaking for the community. But one thing is
certain: The Living Room has the capability to speak to everyone’s imagination and emotions
that comes in contact with it. The Living Room allows the public to imagine their own purposes,
to create their own memories of their city, and allows people to engage with the construction of
their own sense of community. As previously mentioned, the two create architecture as creative
endeavors with poetic aims. They create architecture that is language and metaphor opposed to
function and program. They create architecture that is participatory rather than passive. They ask
questions, but they leave them unanswered, allowing others to step in voice opinions. This is
12 Abby Goodnough, “LETTER FROM MIAMI; A Century-Old City Still in the Process of Being Invented,” The New York Times. December 21, 2003, Accessed December 15, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/21/us/letter-from-miami-a-century-old-city-still-in-the-process-of-being-invented.html.13 Michael Webb, “A Public Display of Affection,” Metropolis 15.5 December (1995): 56-57, 69.
why the issues that The Living Room raises, are not only being raised in Miami, but also in every
other city one can find R&R’s work: Copenhagen, Mexico City, Seattle, Denver. This is why
perhaps these interventions are not changing the entire urban fabric of America quite yet, but
they are one creative resolution to begin thinking about how we can.
Bibliography
Behar, Roberto and Rosario Marquardt. “Miami Open City”. Abitare Issue 395, May (2000): 136-139.
Behar, Roberto. “Imaginary Solutions for a Better World”. Presentation for “ArTalks” at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA, April 19, 2012.
Behar, Roberto and Rosario Marquardt. R&R Studios Incomplete Works: The Living Room. Miami, FL: Homemade Editions, 2013.
Ellwood, Mark. “Miami Nice.” Wallpaper*. October 2003.
Gonzalez, Julieta. “Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt Journey into the City”. Art Nexus, Vol. 6 issue 65 (2007): 76-80.
Goodnough, Abby. “LETTER FROM MIAMI; A Century-Old City Still in the Process of Being Invented”. The New York Times. December 21, 2003. Accessed December 15, 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/21/us/letter-from-miami-a-century-old-city-still-in-the-process-of-being-invented.html.
R&R Studios. “Studio Profile and Brief Biographies”. Accessed December 15, 2015. http://www.rr-studios.com/profile.html.
Sokol, David. “'Form follows fear': in conversation with Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt”. Architonic. Accessed December 15, 2015. http://www.architonic.com/form_print/nt/54001/7000470/0/0.
Webb, Michael. “A Public Display of Affection”. Metropolis 15.5 December (1995): 56-57, 69.
The Living Room when it was first constructed in 2001.
The Living Room’s location at 4000 N. Miami Avenue.
