This Is Not a Gi-wa House

‘Ceci n’est pas une pipe’: René Magritte’s painting of a tobacco pipe (La trahison des images, 1929) was shocking in its time.

He painted a pipe, but wrote below it, ‘This is not a pipe’, which leaves room for several possibilities of interpretation caused by inconsistency between the painting and the text. Aside from philosophical concerning whether the artist’s painting can correspond to a real object, or whether the writing is still painting or a text, Magritte’s painting reveals the striking propositions raised by surrealist artists in the 1920s who tried to create works that could escape or break with rational thinking.

Jeomchon Gi-wa House in Mungyeong is a work of architecture that intentionally channels something of this inconsistency. The floor plan of this house barely recalls that of the traditional tiled houses ( houses) so often found in the country. Instead, it evidences the deconstruction of an existing conventional plan. In contrast to the floor plans of apartment house, which are most rationally composed, this house has devised a new space and relationship through the separation and dismantling of its spaces. What a hip-and-gable roof of tiles in such an unconventional plan! It is reminiscent of early churches from the late Joseon Dynasty. I can recall the bewilderment I felt when I first saw