LLA: I don’t think the jump into the field of architecture
visualization was ever a big one for me. It felt like a
natural progression with all my interests and choices in life
pointing me in the direction of visuals. The architectural
interest happened much later. Rather, I didn’t realize until
later on how much of an influence architecture had on those
feelings and memories.
The studio has a vibrant, cinematic approach in its
presentation of architecture. What inspires such an
aesthetic and why pursue this direction?
LP: We reject the idea of a dry hypothetical context,
preferring to put unpretentiously presented buildings
into expressionist sets that would not be out of place in
movies or comic-book thrillers. We generally share a lot of
cultural references. Most of us love Kubrick, Blade Runner,
whisky, coffee, cigarettes, Helvetica Neue, DIN, Wagner
and dead architects.
My personal favourites are Brueghel (paintings telling
stories), Hieronymus Bosch (paintings telling weird stories),
Rembrandt (telling stories through the darkness), Gerhard
Richter (telling blurry stories), Julius Shulman (telling
organised stories), Mies van der Rohe (less is more) and
Douglas Trumbull, the one responsible for the special effects
of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Blade Runner.
LLA: In general, I think it’s just an honest representation of
who we are at Luxigon. I mean that in almost every sense of the
word. Honest. We aren’t just doing dramatic skies and “gothic”
atmospheres because it looks romantic. Hell yeah, it makes the
project stand out and therefore the images, but we have always
had the mentality of doing things differently. At the time I
started doing visualizations, the tide was changing but the end
result was still the same.
I was tired of seeing pale images populated by stale
businessmen in freshly-pressed suits, all smiling, holding
hands and drinking coffee. I learned from my internship in
Luxigon’s Paris office that every detail mattered. In order to
create nice imagery not only do you have to insert a bit of
yourself into the picture, but you must also go beyond the brief.
Whereas there is a tendency for a lot of architectural
visualizers to prioritise realism in their work, your team
goes beyond by adding story. Why so?
LP: We are French. French people love good drama and
revolutions. There is also a culture of arts and art is made
mostly of immediacy; this is something that we can achieve
by working by hand. Computers have no feelings, we do.
19
05
Milan Exhibition, Eric de Broches des Combes
Below: Iron Resort