Óscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre
Encyclopedia
The Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre (popularly known as El Niemeyer and Centro Niemeyer), designed by the Brazil
ian architect
Oscar Niemeyer
, is a cultural centre of international significance located in Avilés
, Asturias
(Spain
).
The architect described the Niemeyer Centre as "An open square to the humankind, a place for education, culture and peace".
It is possible to see the complex from different places, even from the air. Its size and white and yellow colours highlight its location in the landscape of the town.
(designer of Brasilia
and one of the most important architects in the world) was awarded with the Prince of Asturias Award for Art in 1989. That was the origin of the relationship between Oscar Niemeyer and the Principality of Asturias. Years later, Niemeyer donated a big project to the Principality. His design has become a project meant to be an international reference because of its production in the cultural field. It will be dedicated to culture and education. This centre will be the first Oscar Niemeyer's work in Spain, and he has said he believes it the most important in Europe.
The museum building structure was built in about an hour, as a result of the use of a pioneer technique for cultural buildings in Spain. This way, it took about an hour to set up the whole structure.
El Niemeyer was inaugurated on the spring of 2011.
The authorities are now planning a whole change there, such as eliminating heavy traffic from the port area (where the centre will be located) and creating sport and recreation areas instead. Also a brand new set of projects are being released as a consequence of the Niemeyer Centre effect. This area is called now, La Isla de la Innovación (The Island of the Innovation).
It has been developed by the Government of the Principality of Asturias and the Government of Spain
. It will serve as an engine for the economic and urban regeneration of a degraded area in the middle of a process of industrial transformation: the Avilés
estuary, situated in Asturias
, northern Spain
.
's vision is based on three pillars: education, culture and peace. The Niemeyer Centre tries to be a magnet for the three elements.
The Center organized in Avilés the First World Forum for Cultural Centres in 2007 (also known as the G8 of culture). Apart from the Niemeyer Centre, the other seven centres were: the New York Lincoln Center, London Barbican Centre
, Sydney Opera House
, Paris Pompidou Centre, Alexandria Library, Tokyo International Forum
and the Hong Kong Cultural Center.
The Niemeyer Centre tries to combine international and national products.
after several visits to Asturias. Woody Allen
has shown publicly his support to the Avilés' centre, visiting the town and including bits of it in his first film in Spain (Vicky Cristina Barcelona
2008).
In October 2008, the European Film Academy
(EFA) announced that it will collaborate with the Niemeyer Centre's Film Centre.
The Gastro restaurant provides a space where fourteen guests sit around a common table and are involved in the cooking process. Famous cooks share their experience and menus there.
The centre focuses on three aims: education
, culture
and peace
: "An open square to the humankind, a place for education, culture and peace" in the words of the architect.
It is hoped the centre will be a magnet for talent, knowledge and creativity, as well as promoting local content. It will have a strong focus on collaboration with international cultural centres.
In December 2007, the Foundation organized the First Worldwide Forum of International Cultural Centres in Avilés
, Asturias
(also known as the G8 of Culture): Lincoln Center of New York (USA), Barbican Centre
of London(UK), Sydney Opera House
, Centre Georges Pompidou
of Paris (France), Library of Alexandria
, Tokyo International Forum
(Japan) and Hong Kong Cultural Center (China) and the Cultural Centre Óscar Niemeyer of Asturias (Spain). The director of the Centre is Natalio Grueso.
There is also an International Advisory Board of the International Culural Centre Óscar Niemeyer. Some of its members are Stephen Hawking
, Vinton Cerf, Woody Allen
, Paulo Coelho
.
The Niemeyer Centre will also collaborate with the London School of Economics
, the Instituto Cervantes
, the Old Vic
theatre of London (currently directed by Kevin Spacey
) María Cristina Masaveu Fundation, Ministry of Culture (Spain) and with exhibitions exchange with CaixaForum (La Caixa).
On the 17th of October 2008, the news is that the Nigerian writer, poet and playwright Wole Soyinka
, who won a Nobel Prize in Literature
in 1986, will collaborate with the Niemeyer Centre.
), the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of The Alchemist (novel)
by Paulo Coelho
in the Palacio Valdés Theatre
(event also transmitted by the Internet), the visits of Fatima Mernissi in June 2008, Wole Soyinka
, Vinton Cerf, Omar Shariff..., the concerts of Barbara Hendricks
, Joan Manuel Serrat
, etc.
Also the first steps for collaborations with the Old Vic
Theatre of London
took place at that time.
During the spring of 2011 the announcement of the inaugural programme created a lot of expectation proved by the 10,000 invitations accepted for Woody Allen
and The New Orleans Jazz Band concert.
The current activities programme is on the Centre's agenda, including exhibitions, concerts, etc.
-Best Urban Development Project at "Éxito Empresarial en Asturias" awards
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Oscar Niemeyer
Oscar Niemeyer
Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho is a Brazilian architect specializing in international modern architecture...
, is a cultural centre of international significance located in Avilés
Avilés
Avilés is a city in Asturias, Spain. Avilés is with Oviedo and Gijón, one of the main towns in the Principality of Asturias.The town occupies the flattest land in the municipality, in a land that belonged to the sea, surrounded by small promontories, all of them having an altitude of less than...
, Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
).
The architect described the Niemeyer Centre as "An open square to the humankind, a place for education, culture and peace".
It is possible to see the complex from different places, even from the air. Its size and white and yellow colours highlight its location in the landscape of the town.
Oscar Niemeyer: The origins and the design
The Brazilian architect Oscar NiemeyerOscar Niemeyer
Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho is a Brazilian architect specializing in international modern architecture...
(designer of Brasilia
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
and one of the most important architects in the world) was awarded with the Prince of Asturias Award for Art in 1989. That was the origin of the relationship between Oscar Niemeyer and the Principality of Asturias. Years later, Niemeyer donated a big project to the Principality. His design has become a project meant to be an international reference because of its production in the cultural field. It will be dedicated to culture and education. This centre will be the first Oscar Niemeyer's work in Spain, and he has said he believes it the most important in Europe.
Structure
The Niemeyer Centre is formed by five main elements:- The open square: a large open outdoor space for cultural activities.
- The auditorium: concerts, theatre, conferences... including the Club and the exhibition room in the foyer.
- The dome: a 2,500 square metres exhibitions building.
- The tower: sight-seeing tower, restaurant and cocktail lounge
- The multi-purpose building: Film Centre, meeting-rooms, café...
Step by step
The first stone was set on 2008.The museum building structure was built in about an hour, as a result of the use of a pioneer technique for cultural buildings in Spain. This way, it took about an hour to set up the whole structure.
'Niemeyer effect': impact in the post-industrial town
Apart from its cultural purposes, the Óscar Niemyer International Cultural Centre of Avilés has an important environmental element. It is the central piece of a wide urban regeneration process that will change the whole waterfront of the town. It is going to be located in an island created in the Avilés estuary, not far from the industrial area. This will help in the regeneration process of that area.The authorities are now planning a whole change there, such as eliminating heavy traffic from the port area (where the centre will be located) and creating sport and recreation areas instead. Also a brand new set of projects are being released as a consequence of the Niemeyer Centre effect. This area is called now, La Isla de la Innovación (The Island of the Innovation).
It has been developed by the Government of the Principality of Asturias and the Government of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It will serve as an engine for the economic and urban regeneration of a degraded area in the middle of a process of industrial transformation: the Avilés
Avilés
Avilés is a city in Asturias, Spain. Avilés is with Oviedo and Gijón, one of the main towns in the Principality of Asturias.The town occupies the flattest land in the municipality, in a land that belonged to the sea, surrounded by small promontories, all of them having an altitude of less than...
estuary, situated in Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
, northern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Meeting point for knowledge
Oscar NiemeyerOscar Niemeyer
Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho is a Brazilian architect specializing in international modern architecture...
's vision is based on three pillars: education, culture and peace. The Niemeyer Centre tries to be a magnet for the three elements.
The Center organized in Avilés the First World Forum for Cultural Centres in 2007 (also known as the G8 of culture). Apart from the Niemeyer Centre, the other seven centres were: the New York Lincoln Center, London Barbican Centre
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory...
, Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
, Paris Pompidou Centre, Alexandria Library, Tokyo International Forum
Tokyo International Forum
The is a multi-purpose center in Tokyo, Japan.One of its halls seats 5,000. In addition to seven other halls, it includes exhibition space, a lobby, restaurants, shops, and other facilities....
and the Hong Kong Cultural Center.
The Niemeyer Centre tries to combine international and national products.
Film Centre
One of the permanent activities of the Niemeyer Centre will be the 'Film Centre'. Directed by Woody Allen, who proposed that idea to the Principality of Asturias GovernmentGovernment
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
after several visits to Asturias. Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
has shown publicly his support to the Avilés' centre, visiting the town and including bits of it in his first film in Spain (Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a 2008 romance comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall...
2008).
In October 2008, the European Film Academy
European Film Academy
The European Film Academy is an initiative of a group of European filmmakers who came together in Berlin on the occasion of the first presentation of the European Film Awards in November 1988.- European Film Academy :...
(EFA) announced that it will collaborate with the Niemeyer Centre's Film Centre.
Gastronomy
There are three different areas dedicated to this science: the bar, the tower restaurant and the cocktelery.The Gastro restaurant provides a space where fourteen guests sit around a common table and are involved in the cooking process. Famous cooks share their experience and menus there.
Exhibitions
The main exhibition gallery is The Dome. There is a second and smaller gallery in the foyer of the Auditorium.Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre Foundation
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
and peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
: "An open square to the humankind, a place for education, culture and peace" in the words of the architect.
It is hoped the centre will be a magnet for talent, knowledge and creativity, as well as promoting local content. It will have a strong focus on collaboration with international cultural centres.
In December 2007, the Foundation organized the First Worldwide Forum of International Cultural Centres in Avilés
Avilés
Avilés is a city in Asturias, Spain. Avilés is with Oviedo and Gijón, one of the main towns in the Principality of Asturias.The town occupies the flattest land in the municipality, in a land that belonged to the sea, surrounded by small promontories, all of them having an altitude of less than...
, Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
(also known as the G8 of Culture): Lincoln Center of New York (USA), Barbican Centre
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory...
of London(UK), Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
, Centre Georges Pompidou
Centre Georges Pompidou
Centre Georges Pompidou is a complex in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the Marais...
of Paris (France), Library of Alexandria
Library of Alexandria
The Royal Library of Alexandria, or Ancient Library of Alexandria, in Alexandria, Egypt, was the largest and most significant great library of the ancient world. It flourished under the patronage of the Ptolemaic dynasty and functioned as a major center of scholarship from its construction in the...
, Tokyo International Forum
Tokyo International Forum
The is a multi-purpose center in Tokyo, Japan.One of its halls seats 5,000. In addition to seven other halls, it includes exhibition space, a lobby, restaurants, shops, and other facilities....
(Japan) and Hong Kong Cultural Center (China) and the Cultural Centre Óscar Niemeyer of Asturias (Spain). The director of the Centre is Natalio Grueso.
There is also an International Advisory Board of the International Culural Centre Óscar Niemeyer. Some of its members are Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking
Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, whose scientific books and public appearances have made him an academic celebrity...
, Vinton Cerf, Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
, Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist.-Biography:Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He attended a Jesuit school. As a teenager, Coelho wanted to become a writer. Upon telling his mother this, she responded with "My dear, your father is an engineer. He's a logical,...
.
The Niemeyer Centre will also collaborate with the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, the Instituto Cervantes
Instituto Cervantes
The Cervantes Institute is a worldwide non-profit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes , the author of Don Quixote and perhaps the most important figure in the history of Spanish literature...
, the Old Vic
Old Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
theatre of London (currently directed by Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey, CBE is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and crooner. He grew up in California, and began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, before being cast in supporting roles in film and television...
) María Cristina Masaveu Fundation, Ministry of Culture (Spain) and with exhibitions exchange with CaixaForum (La Caixa).
On the 17th of October 2008, the news is that the Nigerian writer, poet and playwright Wole Soyinka
Wole Soyinka
Akinwande Oluwole "Wole" Soyinka is a Nigerian writer, poet and playwright. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, where he was recognised as a man "who in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama of existence", and became the first African in Africa and...
, who won a Nobel Prize in Literature
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
in 1986, will collaborate with the Niemeyer Centre.
Activities
Right after its creation, the Foundation activity started. That way, even before the actual buildings were finished, a lot of activities organized by the Niemeyer Centre took place in Avilés. Some of the activities included premieres (Cassandra's Dream by Woody AllenWoody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
), the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of The Alchemist (novel)
The Alchemist (novel)
The Alchemist is an allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho first published in 1988. The Alchemist was originally written in Portuguese. It has sold more than 65 million copies in more than 150 countries, becoming one of the best-selling books in history....
by Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist.-Biography:Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He attended a Jesuit school. As a teenager, Coelho wanted to become a writer. Upon telling his mother this, she responded with "My dear, your father is an engineer. He's a logical,...
in the Palacio Valdés Theatre
Palacio Valdés Theatre
The Palacio Valdés Theatre is located in Avilés, Principality of Asturias in Northern Spain.The building was designed by the architect Manuel del Busto at the beginnings of the 20th century...
(event also transmitted by the Internet), the visits of Fatima Mernissi in June 2008, Wole Soyinka
Wole Soyinka
Akinwande Oluwole "Wole" Soyinka is a Nigerian writer, poet and playwright. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, where he was recognised as a man "who in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama of existence", and became the first African in Africa and...
, Vinton Cerf, Omar Shariff..., the concerts of Barbara Hendricks
Barbara Hendricks
Barbara Hendricks is an African American operatic soprano and concert singer. Hendricks has lived in Europe since 1977, and in Switzerland on Lake Geneva since 1985, She is a citizen of Sweden.-Early life and education:...
, Joan Manuel Serrat
Joan Manuel Serrat
Joan Manuel Serrat i Teresa is a Catalan Spanish singer-songwriter.Serrat is considered one of the most important figures of modern, popular music in both the Spanish and Catalan languages...
, etc.
Also the first steps for collaborations with the Old Vic
Old Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
Theatre of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
took place at that time.
During the spring of 2011 the announcement of the inaugural programme created a lot of expectation proved by the 10,000 invitations accepted for Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
and The New Orleans Jazz Band concert.
The current activities programme is on the Centre's agenda, including exhibitions, concerts, etc.
Awards
-Best National Project at Barcelona Meeting Point-Best Urban Development Project at "Éxito Empresarial en Asturias" awards
External links
- Niemeyer Centre Official website
- Avilés Council Website
- Official Twitter Account
- Facebook Page
- http://www.isladelainnovacion.esThe Island of the Innovation (SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
)] - worldarchitecturenews.com