Not Vital: Scarch, Hardcover

A clothbound appraisal of the Swiss artist's enigmatic architecture-sculptures, driven by his longstanding impulse to construct shelters

This stylishly produced book documents the architecture-sculptures of Swiss artist Not Vital's (b. 1948) vast oeuvre. Throughout the world, Vital has worked on a series of grand works that skirt the boundary between sculpture and architecture.

Driven by an impulse to build shelters that he traces back to childhood, Vital has traveled to Niger, Chile, Belgium, Brazil, Indonesia and the Philippines to construct responsive habitats that integrate themselves into the communities in which they are built. For example, his House to Watch the Sunset, a tower-like structure that is at once ancient and futuristic, is built out of local materials sourced in Brazil, Niger and Switzerland.

In addition to these projects, Not Vital: Scarch contains sketches for structures, srudio shots, concepts for future works and sculptures related to the projects.