MOCA Pacific Design Center
Folly–The View from Nowhere revolves around a site-specific installation of a folly by Escher GuneWarden and surveys a broad selection of these structures from around the world. Follies are autonomous, primarily decorative buildings that may additionally serve as memorials, meeting points, or observation towers; examples featured in the show include the Pantheon at Stourhead in Wiltshire, England; Lucy the Elephant in Margate, NJ; and Cesar Pelli’s pavilion at the Pacific Design Center, where the exhibition is held.
Follies were first built in aristocratic European gardens in the 18th and 19th centuries. They were designed to mimic ancient, exotic structures like Chinese pagodas or the Roman Pantheon, yet stripped of their mythic value and, often, key aspects of their form. Folly–The View from Nowhere examines follies built by different cultures at different times, comparing their meanings and uses in relation to each unique context. Represented by drawings, renderings, and photographs, these examples encircle the folly designed by Escher GuneWarden for the exhibition, a white tower jutting into the gallery’s double-height skylight.
Folly–The View from Nowhere is organized by Philipp Kaiser, Curator, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and LA-based architects Frank Escher and Ravi GuneWardena (Escher GuneWarden).