From 1962 to 1966, André Bloc produced several Sculptures habitacles (cubicles), some of which were experimental “pavilions” in his garden in Meudon. This research marks the sculptor’s evolution from geometric abstraction towards free forms. Architecture and sculpture are intermingled in organic imbrications, staggered to form several levels and full of holes, opening the visual unity of the form to a physical and spatio-temporal experience, just like the Endless House by Frederick Kiesler or the Demeures by Etienne-Martin. Although they seem to evoke troglodyte forms or primitive architecture, the Sculptures habitacles are first and foremost a visual experiment with space that redefines the concept of habitat: “the cubicle is defined as a space where the interior can be utilized, but which is not habitable ... There is a rejection of the object; perception exists in successive views by walking through it, and from this one must develop a mental synthesis.” (Claude Parent) Bloc wrote: “I allowed light and air to penetrate through simple and complex pathways. The Sculpture habitacle is, to a certain extent, characterized by a continuity of the visual exterior and interior through a system of interpenetration and occupation of space, thereby multiplying rapports, contrasts and variations in volume.”
