01 / How this building reached the presentFACTS BEFORE INTERPRETATION
An old house’s light on today’s art
Casa São Roque dates back to 1759 as a residence and hunting pavilion. Between 1900 and 1911, Marques da Silva remodelled and enlarged it for the Ramos Pinto family, while Jacinto de Matos designed the garden.
It now hosts exhibitions. Its winter garden and decoration influence how art is seen, bringing different periods into the same rooms.
When open, compare light near the windows and deeper inside. Check for closures between exhibitions before setting out.
I Ching · Independent reading
Bi: does the setting help us look, or answer for us?
The position of this readingBi questions form and content. Contemporary art and historic decoration need not speak the same language.
A contemporary editorial reading through the I Ching, open to discussion and challenge; it does not represent the building’s original intent or the venue’s position.
Explore the I Ching reading
The classical text and the building
HEXAGRAM 22
22Bi · AdornmentMountain over fire
Zhou Yi · Image · Excerpt and editorial translation
山下有火,贲。 Fire at the foot of the mountain: adornment.
Bi questions form and content. Contemporary art and historic decoration need not speak the same language.
01
Supporting and obscuring
The winter garden may enrich experience or dominate memory. Recognise its appeal, then return attention to the work.
02
Allowing difference
Distance between work and room can create understanding; complete harmony is not a requirement.
Another perspective · I Ching
A contemporary cultural interpretation by Xiaoxiong inspired by the I Ching, not architectural intent, historical fact, divination or an interpretation endorsed by the venue.