Maria Orihuela

Postmodernism and Revolution Revisiting Alh贸ndiga Bilbao

Postmodernism and Revolution Revisiting Alhóndiga Bilbao

María José Orihuela London, April 2014 Architecture and its Mediations tutor: Douglas Spencer

intro: the wider issues

Model of an unrealized project.

Daniel Fullaondo, architect.

1

Nostalgia seems to inhabit the linguistic antipodes of utopia: the story of what could have happened can therefore provide a critical perspective upon the revision of a quixotic or revolutionary project. In this sense, Jürgen Habermas’s foreword to Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition, denounced the explicit repudiation of the [revolutionary or critical] modernist tradition played by the postmodern discourse. Fredric Jameson responded to this stance, claiming that it was precisely the repudiation of the former revolutionary tradition, wat entailed the unacceptable reduction of treating postmodernity as a “new cultural conservatism.” 1 In this dialogue it is contained one of the paradoxes of the postmodern project itself, which is a part of the wider question of how to define postmodernism. Jameson himself argues the concept itself is one that is internally conflicted and contradictory.2 However, some unanimous opinions can be found in the definition of postmodernity, and those are best enounced as negations of what modernity had been. A sharp criticism, for instance, of the naivety of its society-changing aims, to its forceful (but very convenient and commercial) internationality, or to any other absolute that had been eagerly preached or imposed by the modern masters before. But it is true that in the end, the general features of postmodernism are most of the times ambiguous and always reluctant to be listed. In this state of the matter, even with all the bibliography existing on the subject, it is problematic to assess whether today’s arguments are already past this spirit or if, on the contrary, contemporaneity is still embedded in the same discourse; going back to it under another form; or if our time is simply another completely different thing. In order to throw light into this more general question, the aim is to examine one particular aspect of postmodernity through a concrete work of architecture, namely: the proposal of 1989 for the Alhóndiga Bilbao under the consideration that utopian aspirations were rejected in the postmodern discourse. What Reinhold Martin interpreted in Utopia’s Ghost as Jameson’s regret of the abandonment [by postmodernism] of both political and aesthetic utopias.3 Both for the utopian formulation of its intentions and for the clearly post-modern influences in its form, Alhóndiga Bilbao will act as a mediation to

Jameson, F. 1984. Foreword to Lyotard, J. F. The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge.

Jameson, F. 1991. Postmodernism, Or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, p. xxi.

3 Foreword to the 1984 English translation. Quoted in Martin, R. 2010. Utopia’s Ghost: Architecture and Postmodernism, Again, p. 69.

2

address the issue that somehow, society-improving, revolutionary architecture, became an exclusive mode of operation of the modern spirit. one: the 80s in Bilbao

Industrial decadence on the left shore of the Nervion river in its proximities to Bilbao.

Source: José María Gorordo.

Derelict industrial building in Zinzebi, Bizcaya, Basque Country.

A pristine embodiment of a new, radical conception of art and education, Oteiza, Fullaondo and Oiza’s proposal for the restoration of Alhóndiga Bilbao of 1989 was a project designed to perform a specific role towards the social and economical transformation of the city. The eighties in Bilbao were marked by a rather defeated atmosphere, featuring on the one hand the effects of the vertiginous decadence of the metal industry –previously a powerful engine for the whole Basque region and northern areas– and on the other hand, the drama of the city flood of 1983. Conspicuously, factories on the left shore of the Nervión estuary and the Zorrozaurre peninsula became colossal empty shells of brick and steel, evidencing the increasingly urgent need for economic reinvention. Just as many other cities all over the world, Bilbao was facing the post industrial turn. By the late eighties, the recently proclaimed mayor of the city, José M. Gorordo, 4 famously prophesied that the desired shift was to be rooted on a new perspective and a renewed interest regarding art and education.

He presented to the lehendakari (president) of the Basque Government a document5 with an inventory of the current necessities of Bilbao and 22 proposals; the eighth of them made reference to Alhóndiga Bilbao, signaling it as the first building which would embody this revolutionary ideas on the new society. To a certain extent, this vision linking art and education with a certain change in society was beholden to the theoretical approach developed by Jorge Oteiza (1908 – 2003), one of the most renowned artists among the Basque avant-garde of the time.6 two: Oteiza and the birth of utopia

image: Jon Polo.

4

After fifty years of full dedication to art, Oteiza abandoned it in 1959, willing to concentrate every effort on theory. In a sense, he had the sort of feeling that Adorno expressed the very beginning of Aesthetic Theory: “Nothing concerning art is self-evident anymore; not its inner life, not its relation to the world, not even its right to exist.”7 Even if this remark is utterly anachronistic, the truth is that after the book was translated to Spanish in 1980 it became part of Oteiza’s library and it is now accessible to the public in the museum Jorge Oteiza (Alzuza, Navarra), where his handwritten notes and underlined parts remain. In many ways, Oteiza aimed to elucidate whether art was to have a determinate role in society and –if any– what could it possibly

Mayor of Bilbao from 1987 to December 1990.

Gorordo, J. M. 2011. ‘Cambios en Bilbao en 25 años’ (Changes in Bilbao in the last 25 years). Blog de José María Gorordo, 28 March.

6 Basque avant-garde in the 80s could be said to pivot around three important figures: Eduardo Chillida (1924 - 2002), Jorge Oteiza (1908 - 2003), Néstor Basterretxea (1924 - ).

7 Adorno, T. W. 1970. Aesthetic theory, p. .

5

be. Through this question it come his interest for education, where he finds the fundamental tool (or the weapon) to provoke a meaningful change in society. Education on aesthetics is essential for the citizen, not only for those who call themselves artists or philosophers, he argued, and the learning should begin at a very young age. He had the conviction that “every artist, no matter how personal and how distinct he thinks he is, is dealing with the question that all of us is doing to himself (what is man?) and with the same data about life that we all have at hand, and with the same experiences, or very similar. We are all the same; we are all artists.”8 To him, this reflection evidenced that the problematics of the prevailing pedagogical system required a revolutionary act to reinvent them. Hence, he begun to ideate a new type of school and to propose its implantation in several villages of the Basque country with a very clear strategy: the aesthetic education of children was to provoke a radical change in society as a whole. 9 He wrote, talked, and dreamt of laboratories of language and research centres for comparative aesthetics, proposing them for small villages, until in 1989 he could move to a much bigger scale: that of the city of Bilbao. He received the proposal to conceive a Cultural Centre of Bilbao: the CCBA. Several regional and governmental institutions, such as the School of Music, the Regional Library and the Contemporary Basque Museum had decided to join forces in order to give form to the change that was so present in the political discourses of those years. Oteiza oriented the project towards the creation of a new interdisciplinary ‘Institute for Comparative Aesthetics’ that, in his own words: would promote the aesthetic education of the citizen and the participatory culture, as opposed to culture of the spectacle.10 He saw participation as opposed to the ‘frozen’ culture of spectacle, an aspect that related to Guy Debord’s criticism of the society of spectacle because it “preserves the old culture in congealed form, going so far as to recuperate and rediffuse even its negative manifestations.”11 Education was to Oteiza the way to escape from the harms of the culture of consumption, which he saw as a relentless force, imbuing the city, and making it a place of “spatial anxiety.” In the city of spectacle, the citizen’s freedom is attacked, due to the fact that “everything drives him, answers for him, and speaks for him.”12 Arguably, it was precisely his convinced resistance to the of the society of the spectacle, to the preponderance of the passive, isolated observer, and to the disproportionate cult for the image what constituted the fundamental disagreement between the Basque artist and his time. Ultimately, this turn towards spectacle was unavoidable, as it would be later evidenced by the type of interventions that were welcomed with open 8

Oteiza, J. 2009. Quousque Tandem...! Ensayo de Interpretación Estética del Alma Vasca, p. XXXX (Translated by the author).

9 Aguirre, J. 2007. ‘Interview to Zuriñe Adrada’ in VVAA. Jorge Oteiza, Profeta y Conspirador, p. 138. (Excerpt translated by the author).

10 Rementería, I. 2012. ‘Jorge Oteiza and The City as Work of Art: Aesthetic education against the spectacularization of the contemporary Bilbao city’ p. 1.

11 Debord, G. 1967. Society of the Spectacle, no. 192.

12 Oteiza, J. 1958. La ciudad como obra de arte. (The City as Artwork) Pamplona: F.M.J.O.

arms in the decade of the 90s. three: Bilbao ‘effect’ Following the Brechtian maxim “Don't start from the good old things, but the bad new ones”13 before going through the proposal for Alhóndiga, the attention should be directed towards the Guggenheim and its so-called ‘effect.’ Endlessly discussed, analyzed, used, abused and replicated, the impact that this particular building had in the city has been narrated in such a way that the chapter no.1 always seems to be the trip Gehry made to Bilbao, sent by the Guggenheim foundation, NY. In those stories, he is often presented –in Wolfian terms14– as the white god: coming out of a plane, from the other side of the Atlantic, overlooking Bilbao from the top of the mount Artxanda, in order to extend his finger and signal the locus for his masterpiece. These bells have sounded in neighbouring cities and far beyond, and stararchitects have been treated as producers of magical and sometimes habitable devices that will make the city flourish in every possible way. There is no utopia in this move, only the pursuit of an image, of a product that it is known to a great extent and that celebrates “the playfulness, the self-conscious superficiality, as well as its populist willingness to “learn from Las Vegas.”15 Alhóndiga finally was refurbished into a public cultural centre, however, sadly devoid of the ideals that Oteiza had defended; and after the crucial years when the paradigmatic shift happened.

Provocative in a very correct way, the project of Philippe Starck embodies the inclusive, hybrid typology of contemporary days: a cultural centre + gym + public library, where uses are articulated in separate cubes inside the building. Art is not present, but no-one seems to miss it; after all, there is an interior public square dominated by a screen of great proportions, whose content is curated by invisible people.

Alhóndiga by Philippe Starck.

13

Brecht, B. quoted by Benjamin, W. 1934. in ‘Conversations with Brecht’ in VVAA, 2007. Aesthetics and Politics, p.106.

14 see Wolfe, T. 1981. From Bauhaus to Our House.

15 Martin, R. 2010. Utopia’s Ghost: Architecture and Postmodernism, Again, p. 69.

(Left to right) 1. Jorge Oteiza and José María Gorordo interviewed on the roof-top of Alhóndiga.

2. Model of the 1989 proposal of Oteiza, Fullaondo and Oiza.

3. Sketch of the proposal.

four: the cube Since it was first erected in 1905 as a warehouse for wine and spirits, the building of Alhóndiga has been subject of several projects of restoration, due to different incidents, such as a fire in 1915 and sporadic moments of dereliction. Designed in Modernist style by the Bilbao-born architect Ricardo Bastida, it succeeded in entering the realm of the collective memory, becoming a symbol of the grandiose, industrially-driven days of Bilbao. For this reason, the building found itself many times embedded in political discourse; in this occasion, as a the first major operation of the fundamental transformation that we call deindustrialization. Oteiza, who enjoyed at the time the support of political authorities, joined efforts with the two architects mentioned before: Francisco J. Sáenz de Oiza (1918 - 2000) and Daniel Fullaondo (1936 - 1994) to work on an architectural proposal.

The commission was clear: to restore the damaged building and to give it a new, public use, as the location of the promised institution of

CCBA. Before entering in design considerations, it is necessary to make a threefold observation. First, that Oteiza had recently been invited to exhibit at the Beaubourg Centre in Paris: two of his sculptures had been selected for the international exhibition Qu'est-ce que la sculpture moderne?16 held in 1986. Not only his work enjoyed the company of Brancusi, Duchamp, Calder, Giacometti, May Ray, and Picasso, among others, but also he visited and experienced the building itself. It is undeniable the presence of Pompidou by Rogers and Piano in the design intentions of the proposal. Also, it can be argued that if it had happened in Paris, despite the opposition that a profoundly historical city can pose, it could happen in Bilbao. Secondly, that the three of them, Oteiza, Oiza, and Fullaondo, were closely related to the Basque country and particularly to Bilbao: Fullaondo was born there and Oiza had been commissioned to build the branch office in Madrid of the most important bank of Bilbao. Their relation to the city is important in order to establish the differences between the agents that operated the change of Bilbao.

Undeniably, theirs was a courageous and radical project, which precisely made the luminous promise of economic and political renewal to begin to appear feasible. The project preserved the original modernist facade of the historical building, and incorporated it as a perimeter whose interior was occupied by a 100-meters-tall cube.

The development led by Norman Foster of Buckminster Fuller’s ideas for advanced methods of covering ceilings with high-tech glass and stainless steel structures, was crucial for the design of the megastructure.17 The project clashed with a society that was probably not yet certain of the form or direction that the economical turn –beyond their industrial past– should take. Maybe the proposal was too ahead of its time or Basque society too conservative for the vanguard that was leading great capitals all over the world. Or maybe that desired transformation was expected to come from outside and above; something was preventing them to see locals as the new heroes, even if some of them enjoyed international acclaim as Oteiza did. What it is really at stake are the ideals shown in the project, that precisely for being revolutionary, were rejected by postmodern society. conclusion: image and utopia The ephemerality of the kind of actions undertaken by contemporary politicians is denounced in Vargas Llosa’s La civilización del espectáculo (Civilization of the Spectacle, 2012), where he quotes Octavio Paz: “But the civilization of the spectacle is cruel. Spectators 16

What is Modern Sculpture? Centre Georges Pompidou, Musée National D'Art Moderne. Paris, 3rd July to 13 October 1986.

17 Aguirre, P. 2011 ‘Sand Castles: Art, Ecology and Politics in the Basque Country’ in Hansen, T. and Kunstsenter, H. O. (eds.) (Re)Staging the Art Museum, p. 12. Oslo: Revolver Verlag.

have no memory; the reason why they have no remorse and no true conscience. They live upon novelty, no matter which one as far as it it new. They forget soon and, without winking, they how watch the scenes of death and destruction of the Persian Gulf are substituted by the contortions and trembling of Madonna and Michael Jackson.

Commanders and bishops are called to experience the same fate: the Big Yawning is also waiting for them, anonymous and universal, that is the Apocalypse and the Day of Reckoning of the society of the spectacle.”18 On other side of the coin is the general trend toward isolation, already dealt by Guy Debord, who is both in the library of Oteiza and the one of Vargas Llosa and Octavio Paz. Debord argues for the controlled integration of the workers into the system, that must recapture isolated individuals as individuals isolated together.

Factories and cultural centers, holiday camps and housing developments all are expressly oriented to the goals of a pseudocommunity of this kind. The imperatives that Oteiza was preaching in 1989; the role he gave to aesthetic education versus a culture of spectacle, were rejected.

We can conclude that Image killed utopia. The choice for a well-known product, ‘a Gehry’ was much more appealing in its concreteness that the promise of a revolution. Who would like to dream of utopia, if it is possible to clearly envision the effects of a project, and if its most powerful strength is precisely its image? The sheer abundance of images attacked every ability to trust dreams and their lack of definition, favouring the precision of the pixel, of the encodable information, that can be sent and forwarded, endlessly repeatable and now customizable.

Jorge Oteiza in his house.

18

Paz, O. 2002. ‘Chiapas: hechos, dichos y gestos’ in Obra completa, V (Complete Works, vol. 5), p. 546.

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Chronology The architect Ricardo Bastida (Bilbao, 1879-1953) receives the commission to build a new ‘alhóndiga;’ word meaning a warehouse. Wine and spirits were important trade products. The original building had (rough calculation based on area and number of floors) at least 24 000 sqm of storage.

1905

Foundation of Bilbao Fine Arts Museum.

1908

Alhóndiga Bilbao is opened, Bastida designed it in a Modernist style. It was built in brick and reinforced concrete.

1909

Opening of Bilbao Fine Arts Museum.

1914

Fire devastates Alhóndiga. Warehouse moves to Recalde.

1919

Opening of Modern Art Museum in Bilbao in its first location.

1924

Spanish Civil War

1936-9

Fine Arts Museum + Modern Art Museum become a single institution. Inauguration of its building.

1945

First extension to Bilbao Fine Arts Museum.

1970

First proposals for the restoration project. None of them was built.

1975

Beaubourg Centre is finished in Paris. Rogers and Piano.

1976

Re-establishment of PNV.

1980

Big flooding of Bilbao. The 80s, in general, would be characterized by a process of deindustrialization of the city and of the left shore of the river, which had been the heart of the metal industry.

1983

Oteiza receives the Gold Medal for Fine Arts awarded by the Ministry of Culture.

1985

Oteiza is selected for the exhibition Qu’est-ce que la sculpture moderne? 1900-1970, held in the Museum of Modern Art at the Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris.

1986

New city Mayor: José María Gorordo (19xx) member of the PNV (National Vasque Party) since 1976. Mayor from 1987 to 1999. Beginning of the process of deindustrialization, investments in infrastructure; one of his main objectives is the restoration of the derelict building of the Alhóndiga. CCAB (Cultural Centre for Bilbao), which united in a building the interests of several parties, regional and governmental: Regional Library, Music School and Contemporary Basque Museum, of the participatory culture as opposed to culture of the spectacle.

1987

1st Competition. Oteiza, Fullaondo & Oiza proposal. Jorge Oteiza (1908-2003) was one of the more, if not the most renowned avant-garde Basque artists of the time. The aim of this proposal was to create a new interdisciplinary Institute for Comparative Aesthetics, according to Oteiza’s own theories. Francisco Sáenz de Oiza and Daniel Fullaondo (Bilbao, 1936 - Madrid, 1994). Public debate on the proposal; first moves towards the conservation of the historical building.

1989

Resignation of Gorordo six months before the expected time for elections.

1990

- New major: Ortuondo.

- The day after the elections, Gorordo is expelled of PNV allegedly due to his insistence on not being a candidate for mayor with his party.

- Negotiations between the Basque government and Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation begin. The first site proposed for its location was the Alhóndiga. Following Oteiza’s rejection of the coming Guggenheim, the artistic community demonstrated against the project “American imperialism” and so on.

1991

Construction of Guggenheim begins.

Publication: Gorordo, J. M. La política de otra manera.

1993

Jorge Oteiza announces his decision to donate his artistic legacy to Navarra (and not to the Basque Country).

1992

Inauguration of Guggenheim Bilbao, Frank Gehry (1929 - ).

1997

-- New mayor: Iñaki Azkuna (1943 - 2014) doctor, professor, politician and member of the PNV (National Basque Party). [He would continue to be the city mayor until his death in 2014. His popularity proved international when proclaimed “World Mayor 2012”.]

- Basque Government declares it a protected building or BIC (Bien de Interés Cultural) (Public Property of Cultural Interest).

1999

Renovation of Bilbao Fine Arts Museum.

2001

The renovation of Alhóndiga is commissioned to a French designer: Philippe Starck (Paris, 1949).

2002

Alhóndiga reopens in May. Budget for its restoration: €75 million.

2010