Le Corbusier in India

Le Corbusier in India

In February 1992, a group of friends formed by Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue, Elias Torres, Mogens Krustrup, Jesus Menendez, Thomas and Helke Bayrle, Götze Stockmann and Valerio Ferrari traveled to India.

In the middle of the trip there was a visit to the architecture of Le Corbusier in Chandigarh and Ahmedabad, and the works of Louis Kahn.

Several of the travelers carried pencil and paper, to capture whatever attracted them.

Enric Miralles filled five hardcover, 15 x 10.5 cm sketchbooks with his blue ink fountain pen, made by the Glasgow School of Art and which he used routinely.

Elias Torres filled a hardbound 21.5 x 14 cm sketchbook using a black pen until the seams burst.

Enric and Elias often drew the same object, side by side. Enric also took slides, which were then used as part of his panoramic montages.

Reproductions of some of these drawings and photographs are shown in this exhibit, which accompanies the publication by the Caja de Arquitectos Foundation's DVD titled Architect Le Corbusier in India. Ahmedabad and the Chandigarh Capitol, the two documentaries produced and directed by Manu Rewal.

Enric Miralles and Elias Torres manner of observation directly converts the landscape and objects into architecture, and nothing is more optimistic than noting the inexhaustible capacity for the same object to become architectures as diverse as those that both have given us in their professional work.