Claude Parent (October 14, 1998) Part 1 of 2

Thom Mayne makes a general introduction, followed by Frédéric Migayrou’s introduction to the architectural culture of France in the 1960s, focusing on André Bloc, Paul Virilio, Jean Nouvel and Claude Parent. He describes the influence of sculpture, anthropology, structuralism, and neoplasticism. Migayrou describes in detail projects developed by Parent in collaboration with Virilio and with Bloc. These projects include representations of the fourth dimension, sculptures to be inhabited, and several church designs. Migayrou describes how Paul Virilio and Claude Parent met and began working together. He shows drawings and project by Virilio and Parent. Migayrou describes their interest in topological spaces, hyperbolic surfaces and monoliths. He also describes Jean Nouvel’s relationship with Claude Parent, and shows some of Nouvel’s first projects. Claude Parent lectures in French, and an interpreter provides an English translation. Parent illustrates his ideas by drawing on paper a