A Receção "Pública" da Obra de Arquitectos Estrangeiros. Fundação Iberê Camargo e Museu Nacional dos Coches: os museus de forasteiros

Abstract

The world is changing and the architecture discipline follows this change. The globalized world is already a reality, and with that, a globalized architecture, star architects, revolutionary cities, fantastic architectures that are gaining the world and more recognition each day more. The contemporary architecture production is overflowing the discipline of construction more and more each day, followed by the easiness of exchanging in the media and also, inserting itself gradually in the political, social and cultural contexts. Furthermore, the strengthening of the phenomenon of commercial pressure, which tends to transform everything into merchandise, has a great impact on the area. At a time of globalization and more fluid international influences, with more dynamic means of communication, where social media gains more space and time in our lives, the propagation of forms and images gain strength and, I would dare to say, new values. Very often they become "consumer fetishes", almost turning into a bet on how capable an architectural object is to give or recreate meanings to a place. The ideal of the modern movement loses space to the isolated symbol or the eccentricity of the object, often accompanied by an interest, whether it be raising a city, a space, a brand or even the architect's own ego as the artist who created the work. However, this entire boom in architecture is also accompanied by an exponential amount of criticism, good and bad, to the same works, falling mainly on those who are called star architects or "foreigners", protagonists of this phenomenon. This study is intended as an analysis of the criticisms of contemporary architectures, in order to highlight the process of symbolic-cultural images construction through media, in this current globalized context of cultural exchanges within a marketing context. Therefore, after a literature review, in order to substantiate the themes and build the arguments, this study intends to analyze the criticism directed at two projects made by foreign architects. It deepens in two studie cases, where it analyzes the Iberê Camargo Foundation, built in Porto Alegre, Brazil, designed by the notable Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira; and the Museu Nacional dos Coches, built in Lisbon, Portugal, designed by the also renowned architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha, nevertheless Brazilian. In addition to a study of the criticisms throughout the two author architects careers, that were made whilst their images were being built in front of the media, which may influence the reception of these two foreign architectures projects. Therefore, the aim is to draw a parallel between the criticisms directed at these two projects, highlighting the public opinion formation process about these architectures, through publications by specialized critics and exposure in generalist media.