Archabet: An Architectural Abecedarium

Archabet: An Architectural Abecedarium, is a 6-foot high drum leaf bound book that presents the cityscape as an alphabet book.

It comprises hundreds of digital photographs of building façades taken over 20 years of travel, discovering details and structures that mimic letter forms. Occupying the window of MCBA’s Outlook Gallery, it is large enough to invite the viewer into the space of the book. But this is a nearly impenetrable city, with compressed space organized by hierarchical perspective. Centered in each spread are Johann Steingruber’s letter-shaped plan drawings of buildings from Architectural Alphabet, published in 1773. The condensed plane of the city is flattened as a sheet of paper, the images and letters read across its surface. Turn the page, and turn into another city. Archabet accompanies Building / Books, a Retrospective Exhibition by Karen Wirth, at MCBA and Open Book, April 12 through June 8, 2025

Gallery Hours:
Tuesday–Saturday, 10am–5pm
Thursdays until 7pm
Sundays, 11am–3pm