Brasilia – Chandigarh

Architecture

ISBN: 9783037782286
English edition
Lars Müller Publishers
Softcover, 240 pages
24 x 30 cm
illustrated
September 2011
€40,00 (excl. VAT)

Brasilia – Chandigarh

Living with Modernity

Lars Müller Ed(s)

In 1960, Brasilia was celebrated as the realization of an urban planning vision based on designs by Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer. At the same time, the sectoral city of Chandigarh was rising according to plans by Le Corbusier. The “test tube city” arose as an export of modernity from a Western planning euphoria that displayed utopian traits. In both cities, foreign architecture entered into a harmonious relationship with indigenous culture, forming new and independent identities.

This publication addresses the question of how modernism has been appropriated in both cities, and how the people who live in them deal with it. Commonalities and differences are identified and images of everyday urban life showcased. Young photographer Iwan Baan has taken stock of contemporary life in both cities.