scarpa: brion cemetery
carlo scarpa is a maniac. he's an obsessive beast. i'm infatuated with his drawings and work.
this is an addition to a cemetery he did for a family's new burial area. the italian cemetery system works more as urban design, with block arrangements and caskets entered into apartment-like structures above ground, versus the more typical american model or a picturesque/pastoral/elysian field. this project of scarpa's is filled to the brim with symbolism, allegedly atypical for a modernist (or second generation modernist).
when we visited this place, we met the caretaker of the cemetery, who happened to be the owner representative on site during the construction of this project. it lasted 9 years. the old man said scarpa was there almost every day. he would check pours and walk through the manifestation of his drawings and often order things ripped out and redone or rearranged. this is not the work of a quality control inspector, but the result of a dedicated engineer/artist with a practically unlimited budget and an OCD search for a design's perfection.
the guy we spoke to was indeed quite old. he had known the couple buried under the large arching thing personally. he radiated with pride as he shared his stories, walking us through the elements with his hands gliding on the concrete ripples. he was like a little kid when he unlocked the incredible circular door leading into the family's private chapel.
it may be hard to put together a complete idea of what the place is. it's not the fault of the pictures; rather, it's just hard to capture the whole thing in a couple quick shots. the site bends into an L, and there are too many wide open spaces and very contained internal/inhabitable objects to get a one-glance gist. it's a real experience that requires walking through, as the construction itself, aided by the use of symbolism, spins an abstract narrative. (i mean, maybe i could've taken some better pictures, too. if only i had a helicopter...)
also, it's impossible to draw for class. my sketchbook work for this visit was totally lame.
this is an addition to a cemetery he did for a family's new burial area. the italian cemetery system works more as urban design, with block arrangements and caskets entered into apartment-like structures above ground, versus the more typical american model or a picturesque/pastoral/elysian field. this project of scarpa's is filled to the brim with symbolism, allegedly atypical for a modernist (or second generation modernist).
when we visited this place, we met the caretaker of the cemetery, who happened to be the owner representative on site during the construction of this project. it lasted 9 years. the old man said scarpa was there almost every day. he would check pours and walk through the manifestation of his drawings and often order things ripped out and redone or rearranged. this is not the work of a quality control inspector, but the result of a dedicated engineer/artist with a practically unlimited budget and an OCD search for a design's perfection.
the guy we spoke to was indeed quite old. he had known the couple buried under the large arching thing personally. he radiated with pride as he shared his stories, walking us through the elements with his hands gliding on the concrete ripples. he was like a little kid when he unlocked the incredible circular door leading into the family's private chapel.
it may be hard to put together a complete idea of what the place is. it's not the fault of the pictures; rather, it's just hard to capture the whole thing in a couple quick shots. the site bends into an L, and there are too many wide open spaces and very contained internal/inhabitable objects to get a one-glance gist. it's a real experience that requires walking through, as the construction itself, aided by the use of symbolism, spins an abstract narrative. (i mean, maybe i could've taken some better pictures, too. if only i had a helicopter...)
also, it's impossible to draw for class. my sketchbook work for this visit was totally lame.
posted by JTH at 10:05
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