Temporary distancing. Garden of the Angels by John Hejduk in Riga

Abstract

In the main square of the Riga project by John Hejduk are located The Building of Time, The Cultural Center and The Garden of the Angels. The Time Building maintains links with the adjoining buildings according to the use and program of each of them. Based on the written description for the project titled The Garden of Angels, this work hypothesizes that John Hejduk expresses a bitter sensation when alluding to the aroma left by angels when they perch on the branches of trees. A certain desolation is detected which puts these winged beings in relation to architecture. Through this manuscript I try to find out if the actions that take place between the surrounding buildings influence such desolation. The research explores the neighboring buildings to find the meaning that is in-between them, drawing on literary references named by John Hejduk in other projects. This essay aims to discover where to find that feeling of irritation that the Riga project somehow expresses through the lines, colors and tones of the drawings as well as the links with Marcel Proust, Michel Foucault and Walter Benjamin. As a conclusion, the affliction created is caused by the lack of architecture so necessary for life in the city when the architect sets aside his own condition. © 2023 Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. All rights reserved.