Roof IV - Side View 

Curator: Here we have Andy Goldsworthy's "Roof IV - Side View", a sketch in graphite on paper. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: There's a tentative quality here, an almost ethereal lightness. It evokes the impermanence often present in Goldsworthy’s ephemeral sculptures. Curator: Precisely. It captures a transient moment, even as it proposes a permanent structure. Note the way the line work, especially in the lower portion, suggests shadows or interior volume. This sketch becomes a record of a conceptual idea, rather than a final blueprint. It is symbolic, it is the very IDEA of architecture! Editor: It’s striking how he plays with geometric form. The grid against the curve sets up a potent tension. I see an examination of human intervention versus the natural world. Those vertical lines segmenting the curved section; they read as both support structures and potential barriers. Is that a figure standing near the curve? Curator: It seems so. Its placement highlights the architecture’s scale relative to a human presence. Also the small scale allows it to function like a sacred glyph. In iconography, that small figure is extremely important and could be considered a sacred measure, like in Leonardo DaVinci’s works with people representing a bridge. Editor: It adds a political layer. The sketch encourages contemplation about accessible space, questioning who gets to be inside or outside. That flat roof looks exclusionary! How would this be different in an economically balanced world? Curator: Ah, indeed, this evokes thoughts about exclusion, access, safety… Symbolically, the ‘roof’ provides a shield, a container for communal values. The incomplete sketchy details prompt an imagining about future transformations… Do we agree that architecture becomes another signifier for society’s values? Editor: I believe so. The dialogue continues, mediated here through this very compelling visual statement. Thank you for showing the layers of meaning embedded in a simple form. Curator: The symbols create our reality, it has been lovely delving into them with you.