|
A clause in his contract stated: ‘Professor Jacobsen should undertake as much as possible of the landscape design, and the design of fixtures and fittings.’ And he did, specifying everything from the exact shade of grey for the curtains, the height of the cedar trees he planted in the quadrangle and the combination of fish – chub and golden orfe – to be placed in the pond, to the furniture, lighting and even the electrical sockets. While Jacobsen designed many and varied buildings, from paint shops to petrol stations, schools to hot dog stands, it is in ‘St Catz’ that we see his attention to detail brought to symphonic life.
And yet this pursuit of aesthetic perfection smothered even him sometimes. ‘I am choking on aesthetics,’ he would say, burdened by the limitless task of making the man-made beautiful. Nature offered him respite – ‘This is great, here you can’t change a thing!’ – and he revelled in it. Similarly, Jacobsen’s designs have left their mark on our cultural landscape, not least the Series 7, Model 3107 chair.
View a gallery of Arne Jacobsen's design >>
|
