[NYTr] Oscar Niemeyer, Renowned Brazilian Architect, Turns 100 Date: Sun, 16 Dec 2007 15:53:37 -0600 (CST) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit sent by Bill Koehnlein [Oscar Niemeyer, architect and life-long communist, celebrated his 100th birthday yesterday! -BK] l'HumanitC) (English) - January 29, 2006 http://www.humaniteinenglish.com/article69.html Urban planning, Brazil, communism...What makes Oscar Niemeyer run? interview by GC)rard Fournier [original in French follows] Refusing to give up hope: Oscar Niemeyer, one of the world's leading architects, reflects on 60 years of creativity, his commitment to communism and the future of Latin America Oscar Niemeyer: Refusing to give up hope The building is right on the Copacabana Beach and the office is on the top floor. Oscar Niemeyer (1) is late for our appointment. From the long white bench under the bay window, it is easy to get carried away with the emotion the architectural studio evokes, admire the furnishings, the sketches on the walls, a drawing in homage to the homeless with the text "The Land Belongs to Everyone"...This waiting is undiluted pleasure. Here he comes. A prolonged hand-shake and a few warm words to express his pleasure at meeting a friend from the French Communist Party. He leads me to a small, intimate room, the walls lined with books. French authors mixed with others: Laclos, Dumas, Baudelaire, Camus and the History of the Paris Commune, alongside numerous works by Brazilian and other Latin American authors: Ribeiro, Amado...There, on his desk, is a sparkling bronze plaque, which he received at the opening of the PCF headquarters that he designed in Paris. He has a soft spot for l'Huma: "I've always been a faithful supporter of the l'HumanitC) newspaper", he tells me. "L'HumanitC) must keep going, it is the companion of all who fight against poverty, injustice, capitalism." The man is in good shape, particularly given his 98 years. He doesn't consider himself anyone special, and, if one insists, points out that he's "not really aware of his genius". Yet many of his most recent creations, brought to life by the curves that he loves so much, are still rising up into the skies. A cathedral, a theatre, a museum of cinematography, the headquarters of the Oscar Niemeyer Foundation and a new port are rising from the ground, filling out the "Niemeyer Row" in Niteroi, a city near Rio de Janeiro. BrasC-lia is still expanding, with a Museum of Contemporary Art, the National Library, cinemas, a music centre--for which Niemeyer invented the forms and designed the plans. The official government buildings of the Minas Gerais are expanding out to Belo Horiozonte. He is working on projects for Potsdam and Oviedo in Europe. HUMA: We are seeing numerous new projects of yours flourishing in the four corners of the globe. So you are not losing any of your energy... NIEMEYER: I come into the office every day, from 11 in the morning to 11 at night. I have a very particular way of working. When I have the idea of a project in my mind, I put down the design on paper, without discussing it with others, because architecture requires a transposition, a very personal commitment, very individualistic. When the design is finished, I call in my colleagues to work on the development stage. This allows us to discuss it, to complete the project-design. Constructing any buildings is very difficult, there are always modifications to be made to the initial design. So we have to be careful right up to the building's completion. Even more so in building a whole new city, constantly changing as in the case of BrasC-lia, which started already 45 years ago. Architecture demands a lot of my work and energy. I'm working on projects in France, Germany, Italy. Right now, I'm also working on a museum project for Oviedo in Spain. HUMA: The 2005 "Year of Brazil" in France was an unprecedented success... NIEMEYER: I'm not surprised! If one day I have to leave Brazil, it will be to go to France. Brazil has always had close ties to France. These ties are still very strong today. French literature is taught well in Brazil and very much present in the schools. I remember when I was in Paris, during my exile from the fascist dictatorship in 1964, being surprised by the welcome I received from AndrC) Malraux, whom I've always respected: "I've put your architecture in my 'imaginary museum', where I keep everything that I have seen and admired in the world", he told me. He found a way of letting me work in France, as a French architect. It was thanks to this that during my time in Paris I was able to design the "maison de la culture" at Le Havre, the labour-exchange in Bobigny, the headquarters of the PCF in Paris and the headquarters of l'HumanitC) in Saint-Denis--which, I have heard, get visited a lot. I'm very proud of these. In Brazil, I often say: the French Communist comrades are the best people I've ever known in my life: they seek nothing for themselves, they just want to change the world for everyone. That's really something, isn't it? HUMA: Your commitment as a communist...Is it still the same? NIEMEYER: I feel good about it, I'm still following the same path. I left school, coming from a bourgeois family. My grandfather was the Brazilian Minister of the Supreme Court. I understood right away that we had to change things. The path to change was the Communist Party. I joined the Party and have remained in the Party up to today, following all the ups and downs that life has imposed. When I talk about architecture, I usually say that life is more important than architecture. Architecture doesn't change anything, life changes things much more than architecture. I think--and I keep saying this to my colleagues, to students--that to be a good architect it isn't enough to complete your schooling. Above all, to really be an architect, to be creative, you have to know the lives of people, their misery, their suffering. The main thing is to be someone who manages to understand life, and one must understand that it is important to change the world. We are looking for coherence. Every Tuesday, we have meetings in my office with students, intellectuals, scientists, writers. We exchange ideas about philosophy, our political ideas, about the world: we want to understand life, change the lives of people, change human beings. Firstly, I am a pessimist: I think humans have a very narrow perspective, but we have to live honestly, live hand-in-hand with each other. But then, at a second level, I recognize that we have to be less pessimistic and a bit more realistic. We have to see that life is hard for people, each one with his or her own specific story. There are too many injustices. But commitment to the Communist Party provides hope, solidarity, and the realization that it is possible to struggle together for a better world. HUMA: How do you see the political situation of President Lula of Brazil, particularly, and the political changes taking place in Latin America, in general? NIEMEYER: Latin America has to become a pole of struggle, a pole of resistance against American imperialism. We have to recognize that the American people are like any other people, but the North-American political agenda is, in its totality, threatening--threatening to Latin America. We have to protect ourselves better. I would have hoped that Lula would have been the leader of this struggle. We don't like seeing Lula's government being so friendly with the Americans. But I'm not pessimistic, the popular and progressive forces are a sign that the people may be reacting (2). I think that, when life is very difficult, hope pours out of the hearts of men--you have to fight, you have to make the revolution. One can't improve capitalism: it is responsible for the worst things in the world. Young people have to get involved, they have to participate in the struggle. I know that this is not the best of times, but you have to have hope. Translator's notes: (1) Oscar Niemeyer (born December 15, 1907) is a Brazilian architect who is certainly one of the most important figures in international modern architecture. He was a pioneer in the exploration of the constructive possibilities of reinforced concrete. His buildings have forms so dynamic and curves so fluid and sensual that many say that he is more a sculptor than an architect. In 1947, he designed the UN headquarters in New York, in the 1950s many of the buildings in the new national capital of BrasC-lia. In 1964 he was forced into exile under the Brazilian military dictatorship and settled in Paris, where he designed the headquarters of the PCF of of l'HumanitC). In 1996, at 89 years old, he created what many consider his greatest work: the NiterC3i Contemporary Art Museum (in the city of NiterC3i, a city next to Rio de Janeiro). The building flies from a rock, giving a beautiful view of the Guanabara Bay and the city of Rio de Janeiro. (2) This interview was conducted before Evo Morales' victory in the Bolivian elections in January 2006. *** Renowned Brazilian Architect Turns 100 Al Jazeera - December 15, 2007 http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/9D78EDCA-D8F8-4D4D-95B8-52C07898A387.htm Renowned Brazilian Architect Turns 100 The renowned Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer has celebrated his 100th birthday with family and friends in Rio de Janeiro. The winner of the Pritzker Prize, architecture's most prestigious award, in 1988 his career spanning more than seven decades has been known for his futuristic designs. His most famous works include government buildings in the purpose-built capital Brasilia. Built on the empty plains of central Brazil, the capital was designed and built in only four years. Inaugurated in 1960, it today has 2.2 million people. "Brasilia represents at the very least a moment of a lot of enthusiasm about Brazil," he said on Saturday. Among his other works are the headquarters of the French Communist Party in Paris. He also helped design the UN building in New York. Niemeyer's birthday has been treated as a national event in Brazil. Politicians, writers and others came by the house to congratulate him. In recent days he also has been honored by other countries including France and Russia. The birthday party with family and friends was held at the curvy Casa das Canoas, designed by Niemeyer in 1953 as a family residence and now a museum and headquarters of the Niemeyer Foundation. "I am just a human being like any other, nothing special. I don't know why I have lasted so long," he told reporters as he enjoyed a cigarette and glass of champagne He continues to work from his office in Rio de Janeiro, the city in which he was born. A lifelong communist who went into self-imposed exile for several years during Brazil's 1964-85 military dictatorship, Niemeyer said he was optimistic about the future of Latin America because he felt the poor were beginning to organise in opposition to what he called the "Bush Empire." Source: Agencies *** l'HumanitC) - December 20, 2005 http://www.humanite.fr/2005-12-20_Cultures_Urbanisme-Bresil-communisme-Qu-est-ce-qui-fait-courir-Oscar Urbanisme, BrC)sil, communisme...Qu'est-ce qui fait courir Oscar Niemeyer? Oscar Niemeyer, la lutte chevillC)e au coeur L'immeuble est situC) sur la plage de Copacabana, et le bureau, est au dernier C)tage. Oscar Niemeyer est en retard. Depuis la grande banquette blanche qui longe la grande baie vitrC)e, on peut se laisser saisir par l'C)motion de l'atelier, observer les meubles, les esquisses de l'architecte accrochC)es sur les murs, un dessin en hommage aux sans-terre portant la mention B+ la terre appartient C tous B;...Cette attente est un vrai bonheur. Le voici. Une longue poignC)e de main et quelques mots chaleureux pour dire tout son plaisir de rencontrer un ami communiste franC'ais. La piC(ce est petite, intime, sur les murs, les rayonnages sont remplis de livres. Des auteurs franC'ais pC*le-mC*le: Laclos, Dumas, Baudelaire, Camus...Et l'histoire de la Commune de Paris, sise parmi de nombreux ouvrages d'auteurs brC)siliens et dBAmC)rique latine: Ribeiro, Amado...Sur son bureau, se trouve l'C)tincelante plaque en bronze, reC'ue en hommage lors de l'inauguration du siC(ge du PCF. Il a une tendresse pour l'Huma : B+ Je suis toujours le fidC(le compagnon du journal l'HumanitC). Il faut que vive le journal l'HumanitC), il est le compagnon de tous ceux qui combattent la pauvretC), les injustices, le capitalisme. B; L'homme est en forme pour ses quatre-vingt-dix-huit ans. Il se trouve B+ ordinaire B;, et si l'on insiste, prC)cise qu'il B+ n'a pas vraiment conscience de son gC)nie B;. Cependant, nombre de ses derniC(res crC)ations, animC)es par les courbes qui lui sont si chC(res, sont encore en train de s'C)lever vers le ciel. Une cathC)drale, un thC)C"tre, un musC)e du cinC)ma, le siC(ge de la fondation Oscar Niemeyer et la gare des bateaux sortent de terre, parsC(mant le B+ chemin Niemeyer B;, C Niteroi. Brasilia s'C)toffe encore d'un musC)e d'Art contemporain, de la BibliothC(que nationale, de cinC)mas, d'un centre musical, dont il a inventC) les formes et dessinC) les plans. Les bC"timents officiels de l'C tat du Minas Gerais grandissent C Belo Horizonte. C Potsdam et C Oviedo, des projets se prC)parent... Aux quatre coins du monde, on voit fleurir de nombreux projets nouveaux conC'us par vous. En fait, votre C)nergie est intacte... Oscar Niemeyer. Je viens au bureau tous les jours, de 11 heures C 23 heures J'ai une faC'on de travailler trC(s personnelle. Quand le projet est conC'u dans ma tC*te, je fais le dessin seul, parce que l'architecture demande une transposition, une prise de position trC(s personnelle, individuelle. Quand le projet est fini, j'appelle mes collC(gues architectes pour travailler au dC)veloppement. Cela permet la discussion, pour terminer le projet. La construction d'un bC"timent est trC(s difficile, il y a toujours des ajustements C faire par rapport au projet d'origine. Il faut donc C*tre vigilant jusqu'C la fin. C'est d'autant plus vrai pour la construction d'une ville tout entiC(re, en C)volution permanente comme Brasilia, qui a commencC) il y a maintenant quarante-cinq ans. L'architecture me demande beaucoup de travail et d'C)nergie. Je travaille pour la France, pour l'Allemagne, l'Italie. En ce moment, je suis aussi sur un projet de musC)e C Oviedo, en Espagne. L'AnnC)e du BrC)sil en France connaC.t un succC(s sans prC)cC)dent... Oscar Niemeyer. Ca ne m;C)tonne pas! Si un jour je dois sortir du BrC)sil, ce sera en France que j;irai! Le BrC)sil a toujours C)tC) trC(s liC) C la France. Les liens sont encore trC(s C)troits aujourdBhui. La littC)rature franC'aise est bien enseignC)e, trC(s prC)sente dans les C)coles brC)siliennes. Je me souviens, quand j'C)tais C Paris, lors de mon exil dC; C la dictature fasciste en 1964, j'ai C)tC) surpris du bon accueil d'AndrC) Malraux, il a toujours eu beaucoup d'estime pour moi: B+ J'ai placC) votre architecture dans mon musC)e imaginaire, lC oC9 je garde tout ce que j'ai vu et aimC) dans le monde. B; Il a trouvC) la solution pour que je puisse travailler en France, comme un architecte franC'ais. C'est ainsi que pendant mes sC)jours en France, j'ai pu rC)aliser la maison de la culture au Havre, la bourse du travail C Bobigny, le siC(ge du PCF C Paris, et le siC(ge du journal l'HumanitC) C Saint-Denis qui, me dit-on, sont trC(s visitC)s. Ce dont je suis heureux et fier. Je dis souvent, au BrC)sil: les meilleures personnes que j'ai connues dans la vie, ce sont les camarades communistes franC'ais; ils ne veulent rien pour eux, changer le monde pour tous est leur but. C'est formidable, non? Votre engagement de communisteB est-il toujours le mC*me? Oscar Niemeyer. Je suis content, je suis toujours sur le mC*me chemin. Je suis sorti de l'C)cole, et ma famille C)tait une famille bourgeoise. Mon grand-pC(re C)tait ministre de la Cour suprC*me du BrC)sil. J'ai compris immC)diatement qu'il fallait changer les choses. Le chemin, c'est le Parti communiste. Je suis entrC) au Parti et j'y suis restC) jusqu'C aujourd'hui, en suivant tous les moments, bons ou mauvais, que la vie impose. Quand je parle d'architecture, j'ai l'habitude de dire que la vie est plus importante que l'architecture, l'architecture ne change rien, la vie peut changer les choses bien plus que l'architecture. Je pense et je le dis constamment aux collC(gues, aux C)tudiants, qu'il n'est pas suffisant de sortir de l'C)cole pour C*tre un bon architecte. Il faut connaC.tre avant tout la vie des hommes, leur misC(re, leur souffrance pour faire vraiment de l'architecture, pour crC)er. Le principal, c'est C*tre un homme qui arrive C comprendre la vie, et il faut comprendre qu'il est important de changer le monde. Nous cherchons une cohC)rence. Tous les mardis, se tiennent dans mon bureau des rencontres avec des C)tudiants, des intellectuels, des scientifiques, des gens de lettres. Nous C)changeons des rC)flexions philosophiques, des rC)flexions sur la politique, sur le monde, nous voulons comprendre la vie, changer la vie, changer l'C*tre humain. Pourtant, dans un premier temps, je suis pessimiste: je pense que l'C*tre humain a trC(s peu de perspective, mais qu'il faut vivre honnC*tement, vivre la main dans la main. AprC(s, dans un second temps, je comprends qu'il faut C*tre moins pessimiste et un peu plus rC)aliste. Il faut comprendre que la vie est implacable pour le peuple, chacun arrive avec sa petite histoire. Il y a trop d'injustices. Mais l'engagement avec le Parti communiste permet l'espoir, permet la solidaritC), permet le combat commun pour un monde meilleur. Quel regard portez-vous sur la situation politique du prC)sident Lula au BrC)sil, en particulier, et sur l'C)volution politique de l'AmC)rique latine en gC)nC)ral? Oscar Niemeyer. Il faut faire de l'AmC)rique latine un pC4le de combat, un pC4le de rC)sistance contre l'impC)rialisme amC)ricainB Il faut comprendre que le peuple amC)ricain est comme les autres mais que la politique nord-amC)ricaine est menaC'ante, elle menace l'AmC)rique latine, dans sa totalitC). Il faut mieux se protC)ger. J'aurais voulu que Lula soit le leader de cette lutte. Nous n'aimons pas voir le gouvernement de Lula C*tre trC(s aimable avec les AmC)ricains. Mais je ne suis pas pessimiste, les forces populaires et progressistes se renforcent, C'a donne l'impression que le peuple peut rC)agir. Je pense, que, quand la vie est trC(s difficile, l'espoir jaillit du coeur des hommes, il faut se battre, il faut faire la rC)volution. On ne peut pas amC)liorer le capitalisme : il est responsable de ce qu'il y a de plus mauvais dans le monde. Il faut que les jeunes soient partie prenante, il faut qu'ils entrent dans la lutte. Je sais que ce n'est pas le moment le plus propice, mais il faut avoir l'espoir. Propos recueillis par GC)rard Fournier -- Bill Koehnlein bill@toplab.org "My fellow Americans, major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." --George W. Bush, May 1, 2003 "...I told the American people that the road ahead would be difficult, and that we would prevail. Well, it has been difficult--and we are prevailing." --George W. Bush, June 28, 2005 "Our cause in Iraq is noble and necessary....America is engaged in a new struggle that will set the course for a new century. We can and we will prevail." --George W. Bush, January 10, 2007 "Prevailing in Iraq is not going to be easy." --George W. Bush, March 19, 2007 +U.S. military fatalities through May 1, 2003: 140 +U.S. military fatalities through June 28, 2005: 1743 +U.S. military fatalities through January 10, 2007: 3017 +U.S. military fatalities through March 19, 2007: 3217 +U.S. military fatalities as of December 16, 2007: 3893 (this figure exceeds the number of people killed in all of the incidents that occurred on September 11, 2001) +Iraqi deaths due to the US invasion, as of September 2004 (estimated by The Lancet): 100,000+ +Iraqi deaths due to the US invasion, as of July 2006 (estimated by The Lancet): 654,965 +Iraqi deaths due to the US invasion, as of December 16, 2007 (estimated by Just Foreign Policy): 1,132,766* *These figures are based on the number of deaths estimated in The Lancet (the British medical journal) study through July 2006, and then updated based "on how quickly deaths are mounting in Iraq". To do that, Just Foreign Policy multiplies The Lancet figure as of July 2006 by the ratio of current deaths reported by Iraq Body Count (IBC), divided by IBC deaths as of July 1, 2006. The IBC numbers, considerably lower than those cited by The Lancet, Opinion Research Business (a British polling firm which estimated 1.2 million Iraqi deaths as of September 2007), and even the Iraq Ministry of Health, are based on the number of fatalities cited in various news reports and have been criticized, with much justification, for not giving an accurate assessment of the real Iraqi death count. The much more rigorous and statistically-reliable study, conducted by teams from Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University and Al-Mustansiriya University, and published in The Lancet in September 2004, put the figure at around 100,000 civilians dead. However, that data had been based on "conservative assumptions", according to research team leader Les Roberts, and the actual count at that time was credibly assumed to be significantly higher. For example, The Lancet study's data greatly underestimated fatalities in Fallujah due to the surveying problems encountered there at that time. The second Lancet study, released on October 10, 2006, indicated that 654,965 "excess" deaths of Iraqis have occurred since the outbreak of the aggression and genocide committed by the United States against the people of Iraq. The current figures provided by Just Foreign Policy seem to be logically consistent with the increasing rates of death from 2003 to 2004, and 2004 to 2006. Sources: http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html http://icasualties.org/oif/ http://www.iraqbodycount.org/ http://www.zmag.org/lancet.pdf http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1338749,00.html http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/Iraq_war.html http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php4?article_id=6271 http://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/Week-of-Mon-20041025/008279.html http://www.thelancet.com/webfiles/images/journals/lancet/s0140673606694919.pdf * ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us Our main website: http://www.blythe.org List Archives: http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ Subscribe: http://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr =================================================================