La Congiunta, Peter Märkli's house
for sculptures in the Leventina
valley, is an enigmatic concrete
structure. It has the appearance of
a large rock, its density
strengthened by a complete
absence of visible openings. No hint
is given of its content or its
entrance. And so our curiosity
impels us to explore the block's
exterior. The horizontal divisions
of the shuttering create at a glance
the impression of large stone slabs.
On closer viewing, the individual
boards and the grain of the timber
are revealed as traces of
construction. Our understanding
of the volume develops gradually,
through contact with its material
qualities.