Today we will remember the iconic Italianan architect who left behind a rich creative legacy and an entire army of imitators – Lino Bo Bardi. It was she who built the first “Glass House” in the very style that is so popular now. Architect, artist, designer, illustrator, innovator and simply a legendary woman, Lina Bo Bardi still shines as an unfading star in the firmament of contemporary art. She worked on film sets, designed private and public buildings, and created furniture. For the second year now, the LinaBoBardi: Together exhibition, dedicated to the work of this still not fully appreciated woman, has been moving from one European capital to another. This summer, Berlin residents have had the opportunity to touch the legacy of the famous Italian: the exhibition is open at the Deutsches Architektur Zentrum and will last until August 17, 2014. Well, let's remember how Lina Bo Bardi's creative path began and what she managed to leave for future generations. She was born in Rome in 1914 - during the difficult period of the First World War. When the war engulfed the world for the second time, Lina began her creative path in the studio of the famous Italian architect Gio Ponti. In 1946, she moved to Sao Paulo, immersing herself in the culture of Brazil.
She used local complex construction techniquesapplied in the creation of the Museu de Arte Popular do Unhã project. During the same period, she worked on the Crafts Center and the School of Industrial Design. Years later, also in São Paulo, Lina was commissioned to design the SESC Pompéia leisure center, which was planned to be built on the site of an old factory.
But in the history of modern architecture, Lina BoBardi will remain above all as the author of the famous “Glass House” – the first project built on the principle of a space open to the outside world, where the environment penetrates into the building and becomes part of it, without destroying its integrity.
Another equally famous project is the Bowl Chair– a chair consisting of a metal round base and a hemispherical seat. The model was designed by Lina back in 1951 and has since been reissued several times by the Arper furniture brand.
Another architectural project with "transparencies"borders, which Lina Bo Bardi worked on, is the Oficina Theatre in São Paulo. The building was erected on the site of a theatre that burned down in 1966 and is a 50-metre long “corridor” connecting two of the most crowded pedestrian areas. The Oficina Theatre unites actors, stage, scenery and spectators into a single organism that is constantly moving and personifies the bustling city, the crowds seething within it and time itself.
positivedialogues.aaschool.ac.uk, archdaily.com, metropolismag.com, nimrod.dyn.archdaily.com, linabobarditogether.com, plataformaarquitectura.cl, architectlover.com, dezeen.com, arper.com, casa.abril.com.br, bardisbowlchair.arper.com
Person of the week: Lina Bo Bardi
