Full version of the interview in TATLIN magazine # 6, 2011
and on the website: www.archnewsnow.com/features/Feature379.htm
The projects of Colombian architect Giancarlo Mazzanti, which can really improve the lives of ordinary people, personify the important social processes taking place today in Latin America. It is not surprising that the most interesting projects in these countries are schools, kindergartens, libraries and stadiums, and they are usually created in the poorest areas. Comparing many of these objects with elite buildings in the form of acrobatic gestures in expensive wrappers - concert halls, condominiums, banks and art museums in advanced economies, one involuntarily creates a feeling of some decorativeness and even detachment of modern Western architecture from the challenges of real life. After all, architecture should not only please the eye, but also make people's lives more comfortable, safe, and also offer such functions, spaces and forms that could really improve the quality of life.
That is why in Colombia, which has long been a country of high crime and still dominated by the poor, politicians recognized architecture as an effective force capable of solving social problems. Architecture is capable of identifying neighborhoods and creating attractive new public spaces. Unusual buildings, squares and parks facilitate communication between people and, changing the quality of urban space, transform the consciousness of residents. Of course, at the same time, it is necessary to create jobs, fight crime, reorganize the education system, solve transport problems, and so on. But don't underestimate the fact that the spaces in which we live, work, study and play also have a huge impact on our mood, ability to work, and even the desire to communicate with others.
VB: You teach architecture. Do you have any special approach in this matter?
JM: I focus on two main approaches to architecture. The first is that architects are able to take an active position and initiate ideas and projects. And the second is a specific physical intervention, for which I research not only materials and building technologies, but also such problems: how to make the building stimulate specific behavior or create a certain interest? Form is always secondary. It is the answer to basic challenges such as the intended function of a particular space or budget. And if we can rethink and enrich a specific function or purpose, this will in any case lead to the birth of new forms, materials, and so on. Also, I always insist on the openness and incompleteness of architecture. Only in this case will it be able to adapt to changes in the future and to new functions that are difficult to predict, because our society is constantly learning and changing. Architecture should never be complete. I usually work with my students on similar projects that I have to deal with in my life.
WB: Sergio Fajardo was mayor of Medellin from 2003 to 2007. He became a world famous politician who used architecture as a lever to transform the city by constructing the most beautiful buildings in the poorest neighborhoods. I read about how he came to your office and offered to cooperate. This is very unusual in other countries. Tell us about the relationship between architecture and politics.
JM: First of all, architecture in Colombia is politics. We - architects - see ourselves as politicians. We are working very closely with our local authorities to come up with some strategies to improve the life of the community. The Mayor of Medellin came to our office after our city library project won the competition.
WB: You once noticed: "I am passionate about adapting architecture so that it can be used to influence behavior." Could you provide examples of projects that you think have succeeded in this?
JM: It seems to me that this is the main task of architecture today. How can architecture change the world? The previous generation of architects thought about how architecture could interpret the world, but it seems to me that today is the time when we should think about how architecture can change the world. We architects can take on such a challenge and represent the real force that would determine the lifestyle and behavior of people.
VB: Could you clarify how this can be achieved?
JM: First, we need to introduce what is called social inclusion or social life, and provide new opportunities for interaction between the population. Forms by themselves will not change anything. People need to be involved in relationships with each other. A good example is the projects of the Englishman Cedric Price, such as the Fun Palace. Such projects are more important than aesthetics. They give architecture a leading role in social development, and they are flexible, indefinite and open. In our architecture, we try to offer opportunities for interactive learning and recreation. Thus, appearance and shape are no longer the main thing.
VB: Excuse me, but was it not the forms and iconic images that the Mayor of Medellin wanted to get from the architects? Form, and ultimately, image is still the driving force behind architecture, isn't it? What has changed is how architects come to these forms today. Moreover, modern forms are becoming more sophisticated. The fact that these forms are now based on social intentions and new functions makes them more rational, calculated and attractive, but it is the image that continues to attract to the object. Is not it so?
JM: Of course, the image is very important, but the discussion is now not only about the image. A discussion about how these forms can really affect people's lives. The problem is not at all about building a beautiful building. The main thing is how to create such buildings that people would strive to master, adapt for themselves. Beauty is relative. But everyone can appreciate buildings that involve social inclusion.
WB: You named Cedric Price as one of the forefathers of ideas that stimulate social inclusion. What other designers or sociologists could you name? Those who inspire you to perceive architecture as a kind of social instrument?
JM: These ideas come from philosophers and sociologists like the French sociologist Bruno Latour. I am interested in Rem Koolhaas's projects and his ideas, contributing to the invention of new functions and possibilities for creating projects with different and transformative functions. I really like Jacques Lucan's text "The Architect of Modern Life" about Rem Koolhaas. The work of the artist Olafur Eliasson is very inspiring to me. They focus attention on concepts such as atmosphere, temperature, color, and so on, on our perception of space and our behavior in space. I am currently collaborating with Colombian artist Nicolas Paris, who uses art as a laboratory and educational tool. In my own projects, I try not only to create educational premises where, for example, school classes take place, but to create such spaces that would themselves carry an element of education and training. In other words, I believe that the space itself can be involved in the educational process. I am interested in an architecture that encourages curiosity and provokes some action.
