Initially created in 1960 and 1965, two domes by Richard Buckminster Fuller (reinstalled for the 11th Biennale de Lyon, A Terrible Beauty is Born) have found a final resting place in the collection of macLYON (donated from the Buckminster Fuller Estate). The multi-skilled architect and designer Richard Buckminster Fuller is above all known for his forward-looking vision of world problems and the solutions he put forward to resolve these. In the 1930s, he developed theories inspired by an ongoing exchange with nature, based on his observations and research into balance or equilibrium. This work has often been qualified as utopian. However, some of his global predictions have been proved correct and a number of his solutions have been implemented. In many respects, the geodesic dome is his most famous invention. This dome derives its strength from the interconnected triangles closed into a spherical shape, an architectonic feature that Fuller saw reflected in the natural world. The two domes - now parts of the museum’s Collectio - have been constructed using local materials in order to limit their environmental impact and are the perfect example of Fuller’s work.
The two domes were constructed according to the guidelines of Jaime Snyder (the grandson of the inventor and co-founder of the Buckminster Fuller Institute) and architect, Deacon Marvel. They represent the inventor’s main principles as well as embodying Buckminster Fuller’s theories; the domes are at once an architectural project, a utopian form, a work of art, a sculpture and a structure. The documents and archives of the Fuller estate allow his works to be inscribed into the realm of prediction, despite their utopian concepts: the artist’s visionary projections can be seen as ideals of his integrative approach.
The artist
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Nom de l'artisteRichard Buckminster Fuller
Richard Buckminster Fuller was born into a family of numerous activists committed to improving all aspects of society. He was influenced by the transcendental movement, of which his great aunt, Margaret Fuller, was an important figure. This philosophical and cultural movement driven by Emerson in the 1830s, affirms the essential unity of the universe integrating man into the natural world. Fuller’s vision of nature was an all-encompassing one, at the heart of which man must find his place.
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The two works given to the museum are variations on the geodesic dome, one of Richard Buckminster Fuller’s major inventions. Used in the construction of civic buildings, protest camps, military radar stations, children’s games or exhibitions, these structures are based upon geometric principles developed by Fuller inspired by his observations of nature.
The inventor applies the concept of the geodesic line (the shortest line joining two points on a surface) to construct the most balanced, lightweight and resistant structure possible. His domes are a synthesis of all of the inventor’s fundamental precepts, combining a reasoned and aesthetic use of technological progress with a holistic conception of man’s relationship to nature.
Fuller extols a systemic or holistic vision of the world which he detailed in a large body of writings and conferences. His idea of “doing more with less” was based on a high level of awareness of the limits of the physical potential of the planet, as well as on a solid faith in man’s commitment.
