Parallax is the effect wherein the position or direction of an object appears to differ when viewed from different angles. This definition is architecturally translated, transposing the terms into significant elements within the context.
Parallax as architecture, imagines the object as the Buddhas of Bamiyan, with its position or direction as the emotional, historical, and sociopolitical energy of the site. The different viewpoints are the two main spaces of the Cultural Center- the cave space and the courtyard space.
These spaces experience the Bamiyan Valley in two distinct situations. The cave is a long inclined narrow tunnel that directs first time visitors into a single file, creating a forced perspective of the empty niches of the Buddhas and nothing else. This experience accentuates the darkness of the past and the shattered Buddhas' sense of loss.
The courtyard gives a parallel but totally different perspective of the Valley, an open space reminiscent of traditional Afghan courts which opens the users' spatial and contextual views. The various active points of the facility are clustered within this courtyard creating concentrations of activity and interaction in it. This simulates the origins of trading communities along the Silk Road being formed along key watering holes and trading points. It underlines the beauty and traditions of times past through established architectural patterns that allows its celebration and inspires the future.
View Original