Boa Baumann / Fritz Hauser

It‘s been a number of years now that Boa Baumann and Fritz Hauser realize projects in which architecture and music directly meet.
Architect Boa Baumann designs stage settings and participates in the development of musical dramaturgies. Musician Fritz Hauser interferes, rhythmic-musically, in the creation of architectural concepts and the designing of building projects.

Boa Baumann

3/17/1953
Architect ETH / SIA / BSA

Boa Baumann deals with contemporary architecture, partly in dialogue with historic building stock, partly with new buildings. Often influenced by unconventional attempts at a solution, his interest ranges from interior conversion via residential buildings to industrial buildings.
His work is characterized by subtle dealings with the environment, the materials used as well as an intensive analysis of the planned use and the future occupants. Spatial sequences, textures, colours, and natural light are further determining elements while setting up his projects.
Building projects are carefully being analyzed, and all reference points and linkings worked out with the aim of finding a simple, practical, and joyful solution for complex problems. The range of materials is always being deduced from the project, follows the concept and the local circumstances.
He is fascinated by the border area between architecture and various fields of art like video, painting, theatre, and music. There, the breeding ground for his projects can be found, which not only can be practical and economic, but also beautiful, poetic, and full of humour.

info@boabaumann.ch www.boabaumann.ch  

New building Polyblox 1-4 / 2000-03

Steeply situated high up above Lake Zurich, 4 privately commissioned single family homes were built. Planning and designing objectives were a disciplined modesty with the building volumes, rigorous simplicity as to the design of façades and the choice of material, clearly defined outside rooms and generous open spaces. Rhythmicized structure, running all the way through to the last detail, and a clear attitude of design join to form a project which creates a counterpoint in the settlement‘s heterogeneous appearance.
With this project the cooperation with musician Fritz Hauser manifests itself in a special way. Those 4 houses with their annexes and outside rooms actually are variations on a
principal theme which is built on strict rhythmic rules. Starting from a point on the terrain the scheme can be followed over concrete joins, building cubes, roof-surfaces, windows, façade elements up to the slabs of the floor covering.
This pattern’s rigidity is being played on with a wide range of material which yields a clear basis - without pushing itself forward - for the later shaping by the occupants.

Fotos Andreas Fahrni

Conversion of Casa delle Masche / 1990 - 2008

The Piedmont country house bought in 1990 is one of Fritz Hauser’s two places of residence and work. In a number of steps and over a period of almost 20 years restructuring and conversion, ideas by Boa Baumann and Fritz Hauser were realized which were being made possible like that only through an intensive attempt to come to terms with the landscape, the light, the existing structures and the musician’s needs.

Fotos Andreas Fahrni

Schallmaschine / 2002

Musical processes for drum-orchestra

Since quite a number of years Fritz Hauser puts the percussion family into new contexts by means of his compositions and concepts, pushes pure rhythm functions into the background, in order to give way to these instruments’ range of timbre and dynamics.
In collaboration with architect Boa Baumann, Schallmaschine came about as actual sound-space sculpture, realized and interpreted by a drum-orchestra of 12. Lighting: Brigitte Dubach.

Foto Ute Schendel

Klangstein 5 / 2002

The Zurich Arsenal 5 served, in December 2001, as a research location for the sound of stones. Bettina Meyer and Boa Baumann designed a room which permitted associations with museums, archeological sites, archives, libraries etc. In there, the four musicians Joanna Dudley, Barbara Frey, Fritz Hauser, Rob Kloet and lighting designer Brigitte Durbach tackled sculptor Arthur Schneiter’s sounding stones.

on time and space / 1999

Fritz Hauser’s solo project on time and space, realized in 1999, has been conceived together with Boa Baumann from the beginning. Already the selection of instruments and how they should be used was discussed together. The conclusive form of the concert – in two parts on different instruments and with altered interior design – essentially is due to the stage setting. Lighting: Brigitte Dubach.

Fotos Christian Lichtenberg •

Fundus / 1998 –

Fundus is a permanently developing sound installation for Castel Burio in Piedmont, Italy. As a commissioned work for the video and performance festival Medienkörper 1999 [Media Body 1999] Fundus develops its musical patina at a revealing location – right at the bottom of the medieval castle’s toilet facilities which has had its day a long time ago. Based on stratifications of recordings which have not been used in Fritz Hauser’s productions, here, an attempt at musical composting is being made. For visitors, the room designed by Boa Baumann is not passable, but only audible and suspectible through a shaft grating from above.

Foto Andreas Fahrni

A manca di Orione / 1998

Starting from an excerpt from Homer’s Odyssey actress Lorenza Zambon and Fritz Hauser worked out a reading accompanied by music. They interlarded the original text with fragments from texts by Hemingway, Pavese, Joyce, Broch, Bradbury, and Beckett. Hauser’s continuous metamorphosis of sound – played on a series of 20 cymbals – created the sound space for Lorenza Zambon’s speaking voice. Boa Baumann made a stage setting which produced surprising perspectives and depths of space with the simplest means. Lighting: Brigitte Dubach.

Fotos Christian Lichtenberg