John and Patricia Patkau: Matter Made Material

Join us for a public reception celebrating the opening of the West Vancouver Art Museum’s new exhibition, John and Patricia Patkau: Matter Made Material. 

DROP-IN

About the exhibition

Patricia and John Patkau are known for their innovative and deeply thoughtful approach to architecture, with a particular attention to light and its role in shaping spaces. The use of light often reveals the unique characteristics of a place, enhancing the connection between architecture and its surroundings. Light can influence the perception of space and the sensory experience of a building and its materials. In this exhibition, light, a material source determined by the interplay of materials such as wood, steel, and concrete, becomes a performative source of the architecture it represents. The movement of light throughout the day changes the representation of the materials.

The projects selected for this exhibition often emphasize the relationship between natural light and the built environment by considering how light interacts with materials and forms to create atmosphere and evoke emotional responses. In a way, the light performs with the built material to add visual layerings to the structure.

We can enjoy being in these buildings and not know exactly why. Nevertheless, recognizing the consciously constructed relationship between the ephemeral qualities of light and the more solid materials employed by the architects is essential to our understanding of the multiple layers that make up these structures. By using light to define materials such as steel, wood, and concrete, the Patkaus initiate an ongoing and active interplay between the built environment and its natural context.

About the artists

John Patkau, in conjunction with Patricia Patkau, founded Patkau Architects in 1978. He is responsible for providing design leadership throughout each project from inception to completion. His contributions to the practice of architecture have been recognized by numerous awards including the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Gold Medal for lifetime achievement and Membership in the Order of Canada for significant contribution to Canadian culture. Internationally, he has also been made an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and an International Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. As a design leader at Patkau Architects, John has instigated and developed the design of a wide variety of project types for a diverse range of clients in Canada, the United States, and abroad.

He has been a visiting professor at a number of universities including Norman Foster and Eero Saarinen Visiting Professor at Yale University, Eliot Noyes Professor of Architecture at Harvard University, and Raymond E. Moritz Distinguished Visiting Professor at Washington University. Patkau Architects has received significant national and international awards, including nineteen Governor General’s Medals, four Progressive Architecture Awards, sixteen Canadian Architect Awards of Excellence, two RAIC Innovation in Architecture Awards, four Mies Crown Hall Americas for Outstanding Project, three RIBA International Awards for Excellence, three AIA/ALA Library Building Awards and four AIA Honor Awards.

This exhibition is generously supported by Fanny Patterson and Peter Rozee.