Cer Magazine International n.20 - Tilmar Ceramics

RIO BOTTA
shell, thickness… the material qualities
of the surface rather than transparency.
How do light and matter coexist and
interact in your work? What importance
do they have in the definition of the
project?
MB. Light engenders space: without
light there could be no architectural
space. In my compositional studies, light
plays a crucial role as a constituent
element of architecture. A space created
by side lighting is very different from one
generated by overhead lighting.
However, we must remember that light as
an abstract entity requires materials in
order to manifest itself. Materials thus
assume a dual role: they lend visibility and
substantiation to light, and thus to
spaces, and underscore the aspect of
gravity that is part
and parcel of
architecture. In its
ultimate organisation,
architecture
entails the transmission
of forces,
tensions and structures
that must be
connected to the
Enrico Cano
ground. This idea of gravity has an
enormous value as the physical
expression of the relationship between
new buildings and mother earth. Rather
than resting on the earth, we can envision
a building as emerging from its viscera.
Instead of seeking to overcome the
concept of gravity, architecture should
harness it as an essential value for human
living spaces.
LS. Your works reveal a kind of
declared “obsession” with the golden,
perfect form and have strong symbolic
connotations. Objects are always
clearly defined, precise, meticulously
designed and highly expressive. The
very building we are in is a clear
example of this. It is almost as if you
derive from function not so much form
MARIO BOTTA
Cer Magazine
Initially inspired by Le Corbusier,
Louis I. Kahn and Carlo Scarpa, he
considers architecture and memory
to be inseparable elements as
the transformations wrought by
architecture become part of the
human landscape.
The most distinctive features of his
work are his use of light to engender
space and his predilection for
primary geometric shapes. From
his first projects for single-family
houses in the Ticino canton, he has
progressed to many other kinds of
buildings: schools, banks, administration
buildings, libraries and
museums, including MoMA in San
Francisco and
MART in Rovereto,
as well as a
number of places
of worship in the
last decade such
as Evry Cathedral
and a Synagogue
in Tel Aviv.
Beat Pfändler
21