Filmoteka Muzeum

The international fairs in São Paulo in 1959 saw a little Polish pavilion with an exhibition of agricultural machinery standing right next to Oscar Niemeyer’s concrete canopy. The film shot by the designer of the pavilion, Oskar Hansen, offers a perfect insight into the way it operated. The light, flexible structure of canvas and steel, nicknamed “the fan” by its architect, was sensitive to the gusts of wind, creating the impression that the building was breathing. The plain-coloured, undulating surface generated a “perceptive background” to highlight the machinery showcased at the fairs, and emphasised the impact of natural forces.

In his description of the pavilion, Hansen evoked the seminal dichotomy of his architectural thought, i.e. between the Open Form and the Closed Form – contrasting the light, mobile and flexible pavilion structure with Niemeyer’s rigid concrete building.

                                                                                                                            (AK)