Discovering the Unexpected
A pasque flower has a delicate lavender blossom. It grows wild in shady groves of tundra climates. When I was growing up, my father and I walked to the top of a hill in the northern Black Hills. In the early spring, hidden among the grass and fallen pine needles, we would find small clusters of pasque flowers. I wanted to pick them and bring them home, but my father warned me they wouldn't last in a vase. They belong in the wild, waiting to be discovered by hikers just after the snow melts.
In my travels to rural towns across the world, I sometimes discover beautiful pieces of architecture, hidden from typical travel paths. These structures are resilient and durable. They belong to the community and reflect its culture and history. They are a delightful moments in the midst of a rugged routine environment.
Textile Museum (2001), Blonduos, Iceland - Architect
Guðrún Jónsdóttir
Learn more at the museum’s website: http://textile.is/english-2/
In Blonduos, Iceland, I happened upon a textile museum. In planning our trip, I never saw any literature about this wonderful museum. The museum sits at the edge of the water and the simple abstract forms of the building were very inviting. We decided to take a closer look. The modern addition had a green roof and clerestory lighting to provide diffused light to the fabric exhibits below. The original building was an old home next to the historic textile factory. The director of the museum shared the story of textiles in Blonduos and how the industry provided opportunities to women, a rarity at the time. She knew the architect, a prominent Icelandic woman who designed several beautiful pieces of architecture around the island.
Architecture carries the stories of the people who live and work in it. Experiencing the textile museum made me feel a deeper connection to the town. I had discovered something that couldn't be found anywhere else, and wouldn't mean the same if hadn't been sitting next to the historic factory.
We need more moments of delight in small communities. Architecture can reflect a communities' identity. Design can celebrate the beautiful bonds that hold communities together. Each community has an identity that may only be revealed in certain seasons, but when it does, it should be enjoyed. It can't be taken away from the region, its beauty lies in the happenstance of where it sits - just like a pasque flower in the pine needles.
