BETWEEN MOUNTAINS AND LAKES

Misti volcano, Arequipa, PERU.

Photo courtesy of Carlos Zeballos Barrios

ESPAÑOL

...and we reached 100 posts in My Architectural Moleskine! As on our 50th post, I would like to share some non-architectural pictures about landscapes that gave me ​​much impression when I visited them.

This post is dedicated to mountains and lakes. Mountains have always had a mythical role as visible link between men and the realm of the gods: Olympus, Sinai, Meru, Machu Picchu ... Due to their verticality and grandeur, mountains have been part of a mental, sacred and aesthetic landscape that has determined the location and organization of cities, temples, buildings and spaces. Whereas mountains were in turn a symbol of virility, lakes (that often accompany them) appear as a female complement, as the mother in whose womb keeps generous and plentiful creatures and food, as well as providing water for subsistence.

This relation between both elements -mountains and lakes- is married in multicolored reflections, infinitely varying due to the direction of the winds and the kaleidoscopic mutation of light. 

The binomial mountain - lake can be explained from different points of view: geological, artistical, ritual, historical... I will accompany these pictures with a poem by Robert William Service, entitled "The Mountain and the Lake".

Taquile Island (4200 m), Lake Titicaca, PERU. After a visit with architecture students, we had to stay on the island because of a storm. Following  an impressive sequence of lightnings the sky cleared, revealing a brilliant starry sky (I've never seen anything like it), occasionally punctuated by strokes drawn by falling stars that seem to  plunge into the lake ... sometimes the best trips are those who are not planned. Photo courtesy of Dachalán

OSORNO VOLCANO, OSORNO, CHILE. Because of its latitude, the conical shape of the mountain is almost always covered with snow.

I know a mountain thrilling to the stars, 
Peerless and pure, and pinnacled with snow; 
Glimpsing the golden dawn o'er coral bars, 
Flaunting the vanisht sunset's garnet glow; 
Proudly patrician, passionless, serene; 
Soaring in silvered steeps where cloud-surfs break; 
Virgin and vestal -- Oh, a very Queen! 
And at her feet there dreams a quiet lake.

OVER THE ALPS, ITALY. Close to Pisa, from the plane.

LAKE NAHUEL HUAPI, PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA. Stunning beauty of snowy peaks and forested slopes which appear to float above turquoise lakes.

DEAD SEA AS SEEN FROM JORDAN. In the background is Israel. The exploitation of the water of this legendary lake from both sides have caused a substantial reduction of its surface.
  DAIMONJI, KYOTO, JAPAN. One of the most iconic mountains of Japan's ancient capital. Every year people light a huge bonfire as an offering to the dead.

SOUTHERN LAKES, CHILE. The slender figure of the Osorno volcano (2652 m) reflecting gracefully in lakes of the Chilean X Region

MOUNT FUJI (3,776 m), JAPAN. Sacred Mountain and quintessential icon of the country of the rising sun. It has inspired poems, paintings, rituals and suicides. Photo taken from the bullet train or Shinkansen 

MISTI VOLCANO (5.821 m), AREQUIPA, PERU. Misti means "Lord", and this imposing volcano has become the symbol of this beautiful southern city of Peru. Photo courtesy of Foful

My lake adores my mountain -- well I know, 
For I have watched it from its dawn-dream start, 
Stilling its mirror to her splendid snow, 
Framing her image in its trembling heart; 
Glassing her graciousness of greening wood, 
Kissing her throne, melodiously mad, T
hrilling responsive to her every mood, 
Gloomed with her sadness, gay when she is glad.

Two views of CHACHANI VOLCANO(6,075), AREQUIPA, PERU, the first courtesy of Carlos Castañeyda. The highest of the volcanoes of Arequipa, provides material for the construction of the architecture of this city, a white stone and porous stone called "sillar" and which have given the name to Arequipa as the "White City" .

The majestic scenery of the SIERRA NEVADA, GRANADA, SPAIN, seen from the Alhambra, this wonder makes a visual delight and seamless integration between building and landscape.

PICHUPICCHU VOLCANO (5664 m), AREQUIPA, PERU. The third volcano of Arequipa houses  the Salinas  lagoon behind. From Arequipa, its silhouette resembles the profile of a lying person, giving origin to the the legend called "The Sleeping Indian." Photo courtesy of chilltravel

SLEEPING BEAUTY, TINGO MARIA, PERU. On the banks of the Huallaga River, a tributary of the Amazon  River, a forested mountain reveals the silhouette of a woman. It houses the impressive Cave of the Owls , a geological formation of stalactites, where many nocturnal animals nest. I visited this cave in 1981 with my father, as a child, but despite the time it has left an indelible memory. Highly recommended. Photo courtesy of Fredy Ureta 

DATONG, SHANXI, CHINA. Spectacular Buddha statues, carved from the mountain itself, whose sizes range from 4 cm to 7 meters, date back to the V century AD have been declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Splendid beauty of MOUNT TRONADOR as seen from the TODOS LOS SANTOS LAKE, CHILE. The pointed shape of the peak reverberates in multiple folds of emerald lake.

Imposing mountain range, close to LA PAZ, BOLIVIA. The dark mass of granite contrasts vividly with the pure white snow. In just a few hours the arid landscape of these mountains will become, thanks to colorful brushstrokes, in wooded mountains and eerie jungle environment (bottom).

On the way to COROICO, BOLIVIA. Taking the famous Highway of Death, in a journey to the paradise enclave of Coroico, is an unforgettable experience. At times the road became so narrow that it is impossible for two cars to pass at the same time, and sometimes the bus passed under a waterfall that "flew" over us to finally get lost in an abyss of hundreds of meters. Coming back was not so funny, because a truck broke down and we had to stay several hours stucked in the jungle. Photo courtesy of Fotosaleix

Two views of LAKE BIWA, JAPAN. It is the largest lake and most important lake in this country, a cultural development center and the main source of water supply for cities like Kyoto.

My lake has dreamed and loved since time was born; 
Will love and dream till time shall cease to be; 
Gazing to Her in worship half forlorn, 
Who looks towards the stars and will not see -- 
My peerless mountain, splendid in her scorn. . . . 
Alas! poor little lake! Alas! poor me!

Lake Michigan, Chicago, USA View taken from the Sears Tower.
Lake Villarica, Chile. Close to Pucon.
SRANG SARS LAGOON, SIAM REAP, CAMBODIA. This large artificial pond was instrumental in the development of culture and its capital Khmer Angkor .

TOWARDS THE SUN ISLAND, LAKE TITICACA, BOLIVIA. Mythical place where, according to legend, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, founders of the Inca Empire, were born.

INSIDE TAAL VOLCANO, thongs, PHILIPPINES. A lake that contains a volcano that contains a lagoon that contains a volcano. The photo shows the smaller pond, and the ascension is dotted with volcanic fumes.

LAKE AKAN, HOKKAIDO, JAPAN. Another volcanic crater, IN northern Japan. Around the lake there are many Ainu communities, whose race and customs are different from the Japanese.

Unless otherwise indicated, all photos belong to Carlos Zeballos

I will prepare another compilation in our next 50 posts. See you then ...

SEE ALSO
- SPECIAL

• Ode to the Sea (Pablo Neruda) # 50

VOLCANO AND TAAL LAKE, PHILIPPINES. Behind me, the flimsy and unsafe vessels leading from the dock to the volcano.

LOCSIN: THE MODERN FORM IN THE PHILIPPINES

Cultural Center of the Philippines, with its Christmas decorations

ESPAÑOL


Leandro V. Locsin (1928-1994) was the most important modern architect of the Philippines, the equivalent in that country of what Kenzo Tange was in Japan. Aside of being an architect, Locsin was an interior designer, artist and musician, and in 1990 was entitled as National Artist of the Philippines by the recently defunct President Corazon Aquino, in addition to receiving the Asian Culture Award in Fukuoka.

I could only visit little of his extensive work, but I was impressed by his skill in the use of concrete and the cleanliness and strength of the volumes, which appear to be levitating while, at the same time, providing a sense of massiveness and lightness to his buildings. Many more advanced studies, however, have analyzed the important link between the work of Locsin and the traditional Filipino architecture.

Benedictine Monastery of the Transfiguration. Malaybalay, Bukidnon, posthumous building, 1996.

In this entry will present two of his most representative works.

CHURCH OF THE HOLY SACRIFICE


Locsin's first work in 1955, was a church (ironically, his last work was also a chapel, located in Malaybalay shown above), the church of the Holy Sacrifice, at the University of the Philippines, Manila (although originally designed for the Victorias Milling Co. in Negros Occidental,  Locsin's home town).

Church of the Holy Sacrifice. See location in Google Maps.

It is a circular church, the first of its kind in the Philippines. The altar is in the middle of the floor, an idea which Locsin corrected in later churches, since it was not very appropriate to the rite of the Catholic mass.

Graphics courtesy of Caryn Paredes-Santillan

The main feature in the church is a large concrete dome, located on transparent walls and supported on pillars on the sides of the church, that people have dubbed the "flying saucer", somehow emphasizing the lightness of the form.


Some researchers have emphasized the parallel between this conception and the pre Hispanic architecture in the Philippines, especially in the bahay kubo, houses with sloping thatched roofs and light walls erected on wooden poles.

The dome is slightly separated from the inclined columns, emphasizing the sensation of floating and allowing more light to interior, which is complemented by a circular skylight at the top of the dome.

The architect Caryn Paredes-Santillan, presented at the II International Conference on Architecture and Phenomenology, a study of the manifestations of liminality in the churches of Locsin. Liminality is a concept used in semiotics to define an intermediate state between two areas, often characterized by its ambiguity and its complementarity with two spaces.

Paredes-Santillan distinguishes in her analysis of several churches by Locsin, three types of space: the primary spaces (main functions of the building, like the altar), secondary spaces (auxiliary areas, such as the  baptistery, choir, confessional) and liminal spaces, connecting these two kinds, which are "psychological barriers that delineate the different degrees of integration within a space and serve as a rite of passage between the exterior and interior."

To this end Locsin uses some techniques as surrounding a space by another space, the separation of the roofs and the use of light.

Paving designed by Arturo Luz

Aside of Locsin, the design of the church had the assistance of other leading professionals, the floor was designed by Arturo Luz, the Stations of the Cross by Vicente Manansala and Ang Kiukok, and the double crucifix and the base of the altar by Napoleon Abueva, all now recognized as National Artists.

Altar and double crucufix (showing Jesus died and rose) designed by Napoleon Abueva

CULTURAL CENTER OF THE PHILIPPINES


The CCP or Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas is the most recognized work by Locsin, completed in 1969 during the government of Ferdinand Marcos. In fact, his work focused mainly on the Performing Arts Theatre.

Old view of Manila Bay, with the CCP at the background.

The CCP is located on the waterfront, in an area of 77 hectares reclaimed to Manila Bay. During my visit a project to recover the riverfront was undertaken, which had been abandoned for decades and was being converted into an interesting center of social exchange. The CCP is the starting point of this long boulevard.


The idea was to make this complex the artistic Mecca of Asia, and for that purpose it houses four theaters, a museum of ethnography, galleries and a library of art and culture.


The main theater is comprised of a huge concrete block covered in marble that forms the facade of the building and protrudes 12 meters thanks to the powerful arched columns that give the impression that this block is floating.


The building is accessed from two ramps which converge at the center of the facade, an idea that has been used by Locsin in some of his works.


Fountains were placed in front of the block, which allows an interesting perception of the building at night.


Gerard Lico, in his book "Power, Myth and Marcos State Architecture" has criticized the monumentality of this complex as a waste, whose primary purpose was to serve as propaganda and demonstrate the power of the dictator. Similarly, many  Latin American dictatorships at that time, also chose grandiose works to signify their power and the vision of the nation, so that Marcos probably used this monument as a mask to hide the corruption problems that afflicted its mandate.

While many people worship him in Ilocos Norte (I had the opportunity to see his embalmed body, but he looked to me  like a wax statue), but there are many others who blame the huge external debt that his government left, as well as his many eccentricities that Filipinos still have to pay. After all, after the war, the U.S. plan was to turn the Philippines into Asia's new leader, instead of Japan. What happened?

Interior of the building. Detail of the ceiling, courtesy of elzhear

SEE ALSO:
- Modern Architecture.

• Peace Park, Hiroshima. Kenzo Tange
• Fallingwater House, Pennsylvanya, USA. Frank L. Wright
• Curutchet House. La Plata, Argentina. Le Corbusier
• House ans Studio, Luis Barragan, Mexico

- ARCHITECTURE IN THE PHILIPPINES.

• Colonial architecture in the Philippines
  
• Intramuros, Manila

Thank you very much to the Visaya cousins for being such excellent hosts in Manila ... maraming salamat!
(This tower in our back is often depictedin Filipino films as a spacecraft)