ARCHITECTURE AND ALCHEMY

Leonardo’s disdain of alchemy was probably justified. Especially if by alchemy we understand the less than noble attempt to transform lead into gold, per se.

But if this attempt is not a “concrete” one, but a psychological, even spiritual one, then maybe Leonardo was a little harsh.

What if, indeed, the gold of alchemy was expressed, accurately, in the words: “Aurum Nostrum Non Est Aurum Vulgi…?!?” (“Our gold is not the vulgar one”)

What if, indeed, as Carl Jung claimed, the “gold” of alchemy was of a spiritual order? It meant, in actuality, the union of opposites, conjunctio  oppositorum.

As an homage to a great alchemist who lived in Sibiu, Transylvania, four centuries ago, Melchior Cibinensis, The Romanian Order of Architects, Filiala Sibiu – Valcea, invites architects from all over the world to submit works related, explicitly or implicitly, to this theme: Architecture & Alchemy.

We organize this event in conjunction with other events celebrating the fact that Sibiu was chosen, together with Luxembourg, The Cultural Capital of Europe, 2007.