Diller + Scofidio (+ Renfro): The Ciliary Function: Works and Projects 1979-2007

An in-depth look at the evolution of one of the most engaging and experimental architecture studios today.

The “ciliary muscle” reproduces the effect of a lens and allows the eye to focus or blur vision. The ciliary muscle became the emblem of the critical vision that Diller + Scofidio (+ Renfro) had of their heterogeneous fields of research and experimentation.

The work of this New York studio owes its notoriety to a genre that challenges the contemporary role of both the architect and architecture. Their interdisciplinary projects range from objects, installations and performances to media and architecture. In recent years they have expanded – with a third partner joining their studio – to embrace projects on an urban scale. Their works, recognised on an international level, include the Blur Building for Swiss Expo 2002, “the brasserie” restaurant in New York, the ICA in Boston, the Lincoln Center and the High-Line, both in New York.