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Story of ChandigarhAuthor: Eashan Chaufla
A podcast about the making of the modernist city of Chandigarh - its origins, ethos, design principles, the people involved, its subsequent growth and possible futures. Language: en Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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10. The Museum Complex
Episode 10
Friday, 7 March, 2025
In today’s episode, we talk about the Museum Complex in Sector 10 - the various buildings and typologies, and the process of translation in Corbusian design thinking. We explore the evolution of the concepts of the Museum of Inifinite growth, the Mundaneum and the miracle box. We compare the relationship between the College of Art and the Museum and also discuss the calmness of the museum complex as compared to the Capitol. TIMESTAMPS: 1:27 - How was the Museum Complex sited? How does it relate to the urban plan and the green belt? 4:47 - The significance of nature in the Chandigarh plan 5:54 - What would a truly Corbusian Leisure Valley look like? 8:18 - ‘Cultural Centre’ to ‘Museum Complex’ - How did the idea of the Chandigarh museum first come about? 11:31 - Corbusier’s other museums (Ahmedabad & Tokyo) and the concept of the ‘Museum of Infinite Growth’ and the League of Nations 13:12 - Paul Otlet, International Universalist Modernism, and information systems 16:18 - The Tower of Babel, the Museum of Knowledge and the ‘Mundaneum’ 20:28 - Temporary Exhibits Museum based on the Heidi Weber pavilion by SD Sharma 21:09 - The School of Art and its adjacency to the Museum 22:02 - Mentorship of Assistant architects in the Capitol Project 24:08 - Translation as a dominant design strategy 25:59 - Philips Pavilion with Iannis Xenakis and Edgard Varèse 28:05 - Corbusier’s fascination with film - the ‘Miracle Box’ 31:41 - ‘Poème Electronique’ and the ‘Audio-Visual Training Centre’ 36:47 - Nomenclature of the ‘Pavilion of Temporary or Traveling exhibitions for the Synthesis of Plastic Arts’ 39:55 - The Carpenter Centre in Cambridge 40:49 - Museum of Fine Arts by BP Mathur / transliteration vs reinterpretation 41:51 - The Museum of Evolution diorama 42:41 - Tagore Theatre and the Miracle Box 44:52 - Venice Hospital 45:45 - NID/Eames and other understudied connections / modernism as a synthesis of the arts 47:12 - Revolving doors in the museum complex and elsewhere 48:47 - The Museum Library and the Randhawa Papers. 49:37 - Transition from Temporary Exhibits to Architecture/Furniture museum 50:49 - The calmness of the Museum Complex compared to the Capitol Complex
