Preserving the Open Form. The Oskar and Zofia Hansen House in Szumin: Between architecture and contemporary art

A wooden summer house in Szumin, built between 1969 and 1970, is a spatial manifesto for the Open Form— a theory formulated by Polish architect, artist, and educator Oskar Hansen (1922–05). Oriented towards participation, process, and change in the hierarchy between the architect and the user, or the artist and the spectator, Hansen’s theory formed a strong conceptual basis for his architectural, artistic, and pedagogical practice. Being a faithful expression of these ideas, the house is a spatio-temporal, transitional object, defined by constant adaptation to the changing needs of its users. In 2014 the property came into the custody of the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Poland. A conservation strategy was developed to preserve both the idea and the physical aspect of the site. With its dominance of concept and artist’s intent, this house has a stronger resemblance with a work of art than with built heritage. Therefore, the procedures developed for the conservation of contemporary artworks have been applied. These tools help to evaluate the range of necessary interventions and to set up a conservation programme.