9sekunden films origami extension of swiss national museum in zurich

9sekunden premieres swiss national museum film

In the film soundscaped by Gil Amado, 9sekunden captures the visual, functional, and social narratives of the 2016 extension of the Swiss National Museum, Zurich, designed by Christ & Gantenbein. Despite its seemingly initial confrontation with the surroundings, the short film reveals how the new wing creates an architectural ensemble that not only fits but elevates its urban setting through moving picture and music. The volume extensively folds out into the space adjacent to the Platzspitz Park, mirroring the characteristic roofscape of the original museum from 1898 that was designed by Gustav Gull.

All images courtesy of 9sekunden

9sekunden: love for good film, architecture, and nature

‘Good architecture is time-enduring works of art that come into contact with people through their atmosphere. They release something in people that lets them grow, educates them – in aesthetics, perception, but also in devotion to the creative process itself,’ 9sekunden tells designboom ahead of the premiere of the new film.

9sekunden is a team of young filmmakers and designers from the expertise of space, graphics, and applied arts, who are united in a shared love of good film, architecture, and nature. Previous shorts with leading architectural practices, such as David Chipperfield Architects, Gigon / Guyer, and Tadao Ando, has trained the creative studio to uniquely understand the essence of space in terms of proportions, materials, time, and atmosphere – all captured in their films. These audiovisual spaces that invite visitors to look and discover architectural projects are favored over the higher, faster, and further media typically seen in the modern digital age.

9sekunden has collaborated with sound designers in the past to further deepen the quality of the audiovisual spaces. For the film of the Swiss National Museum extension by Christ & Gantenbein, one of the studio’s most valuable collaborations was formed with the Portuguese sound designer and music producer Gil Amado. The multi-instrumentalist musician illustrates relationships between image and sounds. These sound stories interact and merge with the visual to create a valuable symbiosis. In 9sekunden’s new film, the qualities of the minimalistic music evokes a contemplative soundscape to enrich the moving images.

the new film takes flight

When viewed from above – as captured in the first scenes of the film – the museum’s extension is reminiscent of a filigree origami sculpture of a bird. Flocks are seen playfully interacting with the building, as if a permanent part of the architecture’s choreography within its urban setting. This interaction between building and nature was sourced as the inspiration for the filmmakers and sound designer. The flapping of the birds’ wings, for example, translated into the musical score.

The inspiration of birds added another level to the function of the museum – as a stage. The idea of a stage is apparent throughout the entire film: as nature, like the birds and sunlight, interacts with the project; the new form and its relationship with the old; and the behavior of visitors inside the museum. Split into three chapters, each segment of the film builds on one another to create a holistic story, yet remain independent in their unique appearance.

Years of photographic and filmic investigations of room atmospheres has enriched 9sekunden to capture a narrative quality in their films. The invisible is made visible for the Swiss National Museum, from the visual to functional and social aspects. It raises awareness of similar time-enduring architecture, its added value to society, and encourages discourse on the future of our built environments in a multi-sensory way.

Watch the full film at the top of the article.