midMOD monday

Carol M. Highsmith, photographer. Salk Institute, La Jolla, California. [Between 1980 and 2006]. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, 2011631483.

​​Happy Birthday Louis Kahn!
​Oh, and Happy President’s Day too.

In honor of what would have been Kahn’s 116th birthday, I give you this Salk Institute video, which will not only remind (or introduce) you to the genius of the design but also the genius of the designer.

Salk Institute from Chang Kyun Kim on Vimeo.

Completed in 1965, Kahn's Salk Institute exemplifies the architect's proclivity for the monumental and the spiritual in concrete form. The complex rejects straightforward functionalism in favor of emotional formality and personal contemplation. A mythic temple in the sky, the Salk Institute continues to inspire generations of architects, scientists, and design lovers.

​So go ahead and eat a piece of cake, drink a glass of bubbly, and watch My Architect for the first, third, or twentieth time. Happy Birthday, Mr. Kahn. 

Carol M. Highsmith, photographer. Salk Institute, La Jolla, California. [Between 1980 and 2006]. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, 2011631333.