Review: Kanner Architects 11 projects

This is a nice book - There are nice pictures, really nice large centre-spreads that portray each work.

The work is varied, startling and exciting - like the gas station under construction with its dramatic roof structure, or the bold red house featured on the cover.

At the same time, some of the work displays a light, breezy indoor-outdoor-blurring modernism that, the book acknowledges, is reminiscent of mid-century tropical Modernists such as Richard Neutra or R.M. Schindler.

On the other hand, some projects, though simple in form, are enlivened through a kaleidoscope of colours and patterns. You can stare at each image for quite a while, just like I did. This does help in deciphering each work, as the details and materiality of each work comes alive.

Even so, with a layout and presentation that emphasizes imagery over inference, we are made to wonder. Is this meant to be merely an eye-catching catalogue? Or a 'hard' substitute for a website that emphasizes visual content? Is this book really as unpretentious as it seems? Or is it reflective of a practice that is still finding itself?

One really wishes that the book did a bit more justice to the remarkable work it tries to represent.

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Book Details

Title

Kanner Architects 11 projects

Author

Michael Webb (Introduction)

Publisher

ORO -- Publishers of Architecture, Art and Design

Year

2007

Format

Paperback

Dimensions

10 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches

Content pages

70+

Language

English

ISBN-10

0977467236

ISBN-13

978-0977467236