The archives of Lina Bo Bardi, Ray Eames, and Marianne Gast

Choral Silences and Polynomial Records

Abstract

An architectural classification archive maintains an aura of objectivity and a scientific and critical spirit; it contains written, graphic or photographic items, films, and sound archives. Its collection is formed thanks to the searches for information carried out by researchers and professors over the years. It is a protected space for plans, photos, and papers, so important for the generation of knowledge.

For us, as architects dedicated to research, to immerse ourselves in an archive is to have a conversation with the person being studied. To review these creators is to dialogue, learn and discuss with them among their drawings, prototypes, models, photographs, and projects. And as teachers, to cast light and place value on these references is to give new generations alternative models that reflect the diversity of today's world and help them think about their future.

In this article we approach the archives of three authors investigating how they were formed and structured. The comparative diachronic analysis allows us to understand their divergence from the modern canon, when they faced their professional projects, and the current interpretation and enhancement of their work.

The archives of Lina Bo Bardi, Marianne Gast and Ray Eames constitute a very rich universe of polynomial projects. Their choral dimension and creative silences need to be uncovered: we can rewrite a plural narrative that does not reproduce the imbalances that silenced them in the narrative construction of architectural modernity.