<Presentations Day1>Twentieth Century Latin American Title Architecture: a Network and a Digital Exhibition Author(s) SEGAWA, Hugo CIRAS discussion paper No.81 : Architectural and Planning Citation Cultures Across Regions --Digital Humanities Collaboration Towards Knowledge Integration (2018), 81: 8-17 Issue Date 2018-03 URL https://doi.org/10.14989/CIRASDP_81_8 © Center for Information Resources of Area Studies, Kyoto Right University Type Research Paper Textversion publisher Kyoto University Presentations / Day1 Twentieth Century Latin American Architecture: a Network and a Digital Exhibition Hugo SEGAWA University of Sao Paulo designed by the architect Horiguchi Sutemi and built inside the Ibirapuera Park in Sao Paulo city in 1954, on the occasion of the 4th centennial of the foundation of the city of São Paulo. This, and other examples of forgotten or unknown facts of how ar- chitectural exchanges and the architectural culture in Brazil was shaped, demonstrate that this kind of database is an important tool for research, and would be especially useful for data mining analysis. The Observatório de Arquitectura Latinoamer- icana Contemporánea – ODALC (Observatory of As representative of a joint research group, a Contemporary Latin American Architecture) is a network dedicated to the study of the Modern Latin network of researchers of the University of São American Architecture, the invitation to be in this Paulo (Brazil), Universidad Nacional (Colombia) symposium came in an important moment of discus- and Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (Mexi- sion and decision regarding the use of digital tools co) dedicated to the study of contemporary Latin and data bases within the activities of the group, al- American architecture and cities since 2011. together with the debate about their influence over In this research network we have started dis- the research needs and outputs. IT demonstrates cussions about how to reinforce intercultural con- a potential to support unforeseen frameworks of nexion within Latin America. So far, in Brazil, in analysis and publicization of knowledge. Mexico and in Colombia every year or every two My first real approach to complex systems in IT years, we organize symposiums and personal meet- happened in 2013 and 2014. I was the academic co- ings. However, these are not enough for allowing ordinator of a team at the library of the School of an everyday exchange of information that would be Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São required for a proper research network. But thanks Paulo (FAU USP in Portuguese abbreviation) which to the cloud system and many other devices that realized the digitalization of the Brazilian architec- support digital exchanges the network is seeking an tural magazine Acrópole, published between 1938 operational way of continuity. and 1971 in the city of São Paulo. In the web site Among the various aims proposed during the entitled “Revista Acropole” (http://www.acropole. regular meetings, two issues emerged as challenges fau.usp.br/). It is possible to research all the collec- related to potentialities of IT. tion, and each of the 391 editions is entirely avail- The first one is to build a more specific database able. The website displays all issued magazines and according to the network’s research needs, exploit- its covers per one year. It is also possible, instead ing IT resources to allow the circulation of inter- of looking at years or by issue, to search a specific nal documentation (due to the recording and use of content by word mining. copyrighted material). The system should permit a For instance, by searching the word “Japão” (or, more intense interactivity among the members of Japan in Portuguese) some results will be displayed. the three countries. Data feeds, information ex- There is a publication about the Japanese pavilion change and sharing of work development should be done from and to any research center, with a more 1. The architect Kuma Kengo in visit to São Paulo during the open- user friendly unfragmented platform than those ing of the Japan House commented about the striking contrast be- available in the international research software tween Horiguchi Sutemi’s delicate wooden architecture inside the system. Connecting different groups and allowing Ibirapuera Park, placed side-by-side to the radical experiments of the Brazilian modern architecture (Andrea Urushima, editor’s note). those who joined the network to contribute with 8 Digital Humanities Collaboration Towards Knowledge Integration data and information are targets. cerns. The creation of database and respective manage- Databases are permanent sources and serve as ment, as a tool used to develop deeper reflections, a basis for a virtual exhibition if creatively man- analyzes and approaches is an important issue relat- aged. We are specialists in contents, but not on the ed to compatibility or the creation of a platform of capabilities of IT. We must still understand its po- easy performance where texts, photos, movies and tentialities and develop best ways to present this in- drawings can be added. formation, but we still have an unclear idea on what Architectural historians and architects would works better with that. know what to do with such documentation. This In order to compare with traditional exhibition kind of database is really important and could be arrangements, may I talk about my experience as shared comprehensively. For example, when a organizer and curator. Brazilian building data is available, Mexican col- In Frankfurt in 1994, for a show at the Deutsch- leagues and architects can analyze it with their own es Architekturmuseum on contemporary architec- methodologies. Their approach of the same subject ture in Brazil, we have exhibited mainly printed is clearly different from that of architects and ar- photos taken by a Brazilian photographer, Cristiano chitectural historians from Brazil. In the process of Mascaro. We asked him to prepare special images database construction, we would like to foresee the for this exhibition. use of tools which do not need to be created, but Photos complemented by the displaying of other something that already exists in an effective and objects, such as books and blueprints of the build- flexible way, which could accommodate different ings, represent a very conventional exhibition way, types of data, including GIS information. ever since architecture expositions has been orga- The second issue that emerged among the vari- nized in 20th century. A not so dark room exhibited ous aims proposed during the regular meetings, as a slide show, with the today surpassed and now for- a challenge related to potentialities of IT, was the gotten 35mm slide projector of Ektachrome or Fu- design of a virtual/online exhibition on 20th centu- jichrome positive images. Visitors could also look ry Architecture in Latin America. at prefabricated structure pieces that give an idea It could be exhibited in museums, cultural cen- of the construction materials used in the buildings, ters, libraries and schools by means of large-format and bring some of the “materiality” of the architec- projections or in monitors or performed in lectures. ture (Fig.1). It would be constantly remodeled and updated, ac- cording to new interpretations, the advances of the research and improvement of the available material for the show. We would like to think of an architectural virtu- al exhibition based on the use of online systems that are flexible in the way we can choose or organize what we want to show and that allows the mem- bers of the group without any specially IT ability to update the data we collect. This type of system would allow us to work everyday and change the exhibition everyday by uploading and feeding new information. This information could be quickly pre- sented in a digital mode that could sometimes be used for teaching in a school or simply as a virtual show in complement to an exposition in a museum Fig.1 Contemporary Architecture in Brazil exhibition: prefab- or wherever else an exhibition could be displayed. ricated piece and blueprints of architecture drawing exposed. The exhibition would be organized with flexi- ble contents, multilingual, shaped according to the In 2012, in São Paulo, in the Centro Universi- occasion and the desired focus. It would be possi- tário Mariantonia, of our university, we curated the ble to select segments of the totality, according to exhibition Le Corbusier | South America | 1929, chronological, thematic, typological, geographical featuring Le Corbusier’s drawings and croquis that or any other convenient criteria or curatorial con- he made during his visit to South America in 1929. Digital Humanities Collaboration Towards Knowledge Integration 9 Original drawings powerfully attract the attention photos of the early capital of Brazil, Brasilia; and of the audience, which could be partially explained very expensive maquettes that cannot be transport- by the “fetish” type of emotion caused by the view ed so easily to other venues. of the secrets hidden in the hand drafts of Le Cor- In contrast, for thinking about affordability, busier. democratic and easily accessible expositions, digi- If it we had displayed copies or reproductions, tal exhibitions are a good possibility that avoids the the impact would not be the same. We have showed need to deal with the “fetish” of original drawings, truly works of art from the Le Corbusier Founda- which insurance and handling fees are extremely tion archives in Paris, and compared with other expensive. Following this trend of a more accessi- schemes published in his book Précisions. Five ble form of exhibition, since last October we started houses sketched in the drawings were materialized discussions on how to conceive this kind of virtual in scale models. We tried to be didactic and to give show and it is now a work in progress. an idea of the relevance of the original drawings Instead of explaining the concept, I will try to with explanations.