Boa Nova Tea House at Matosinhos, PortugalThe Concrete Landscape documentary presents the portuguese architect alvaro siza through his relationship with brazil, including his family roots in belém and investigating his only work in the country, the building of ibere camargo institution, located in Porto Alegre. Álvaro Siza is one of the greatest living architects today. The winner of important prizes such as the Pritzker and the Golden Lion of Venice just reinvents itself with a work built in Brazil: the Iberê Camargo Foundation building, in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. Since its construction in 2008, his work takes on a new lease of life and resumes with vigor, developing in a new type of architecture, which influences generations of architects from around the world. In addition to Brazil, Siza’s work is spread all over the world, in countries such as South Korea, Holland and Germany, France, China and the United States, and its main landmark is the constant renewal and influence of masters like Le Corbusier and Frank Lolyd Wright, always with his own originality and language. Undoubtedly, one of the greatest artists of our times still alive.
Born in the city of Porto, Siza has roots in Brazil: his father was born in Belém and immigrated to Porto, bringing great Brazilian influence in his family life. His grandfather Julio Siza was a great photographer, who magnificently shot northern Brazil at the beginning of the 20th century. The trigger for the film to happen is the only work by the architect built in Brazil, the building of the Iberê Camargo Foundation, which was a turning point in the work of the award-winning Portuguese architect. The registration of the work was carefully thought out, highlighting the details of the building and the main decisions made in the project. The intention is to present the project in the most humane way possible, highlighting unusual points of view and which escape the simple record of the building: this is a fundamental point in Siza’s work, which stands out mainly in humanizing spaces. The film will also show 6 important works built in Portugal, where the size of each work will be important, with subjective plans for each location, valuing the space for human integration. The documentary is based on conversations with the architect Álvaro Siza that takes place in his office, in the city of Porto in Portugal. The intention of the film is to portray how the architect is at that moment, almost 90 years old and in full activity.
The film does not intend to tell the biography of Álvaro Siza’s life, but rather to make a narrative cut about his life today, with small strokes of remarkable moments that have changed and influenced his work and his daily life. The film also features interviews with experts and people close to Siza who can give us an overview of the man behind the renowned architect.
Datasheet:
Original Idea and Research: Raul Penteado, Manuel Sá and André Scarpa. Two former Alvaro Siza collaborators are part of the content curation team. Andre Scarpa has a degree in architecture from FAUP (Faculty of Architecture of Porto) and currently Raul Penteado is in the final stages of his master’s and doctorate at USP on Siza’s work.
Directors: Luiz Ferraz and Laura Artigas Photography: Manuel Sá and André Scarpa Additional Photography: Marco Artigas Screenplay: Laura Artigas Production: Gal Buitoni Direct Sound: Pedro Adamastor (Porto) Broadcast: Canal Arte 1
