'Once I had a dream that Rio de Janeiro had never been settled. That the city had grown inland back from the hills. I saw exactly what Cabral saw when he first arrived. The stunning nature, the birds, the animals, all that. With the city further back facing inland. It would have been a paradise frozen in time. That's why one day I suddenly thought...maybe the world would be better off without people.' - Niemeyer
This documentary is a brilliant uncovering of Niemeyer's fascinating Architectural practice and his wonderfully witty and opined character. Perhaps most intriguing is Niemeyer himself (who is 104 years old) and is therefore like a living relic of the modernist era. Specifically; his utopian aspirations (to be attained through Architecture and Urban Design) and love of reinforced concrete. I was struck by Niemeyer's oratory style and eloquence, he is one of the more quotable architects I've come across.
I had no idea that Le Corbusier used and adapted Oscar Niemeyer's original plan and idea for the United Nations headquaters in New York.
Once, in Brasilia, late at night, we went to look at the Alvorada Palace which had just been finished. Seeing it at night, we were stunned by how lovely it was. Like a sculpture. As if it had no purpose other than its own beauty. I said "This is when true architecture is born." A shape that's new, different, that takes you by surprise. That's architecture.
Beauty is important, look at the pyramids. They make no practical sense. But they're so beautiful, so monumental, that you forget their purpose. You just admire them.
What matters to us in every sense is freedom. A sense of fantasy, something out of the ordinary, that's what counts. What stands the test of time is not well-kept little houses. It's cathedrals or monumental forms with a sense of balance.
(Apologies for the lacklustre poor-resolution screenshots)
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