Cruz y Ortiz 1/200...1/2000: the new exhibition at ICO Museum

The new exhibition Cruz and Ortiz 1/200...1/2000 hosted by the ICO Museum until January 22, takes us through the more than forty years of professional experience of the architects Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortiz, characterized by rigor and sobriety, both the small and the large scale, new construction projects and renovations. Everything commissioned by the architect Jesús Ulargui Agurruza, and photographs by the artist José Manuel Ballester. 

Among the works exhibited in Cruz and Ortiz 1/200...1/2000 it should be noted the Santa Justa Station (1992) or more recent projects such as the expansion of the Rijksmuseum, one of the most important museums in Europe, which invites to reflect on the architecture of museums and the museum institution.

The ICO Museum devotes special attention to the project of one of the most emblematic sports facilities in Madrid: the new Atletico Madrid's stadium, which will be inaugurated the next August as the seat of †he Madrid's football club. From its initial conception as athletics stadium for the Community, until this football club plays its first game in, more than thirty years have elapsed, which makes this work the one with the longest time path in the studio.

Another 50 projects get joined to those, explained with sketches and models developed by Cruz and Ortiz since 1974, both the built ones - in most cases - as those who remained in the project phase for not being selected in the numerous national and international competitions in which they have participated.


Cruz and Ortiz 1/200 ... 1/2000. About the exhibition and the title:

The exhibition is provided with a great unity. The way to expound on identical tables, equally illuminated, accompanied by a transformation of the exhibition halls of the Museum ICO intended to achieve that unit purpose. "We have no doubt about the fascination for scale reproductions of reality which occurs in those who contemplate," says Antonio Ortiz. "Some of it is to be achieved through the profusion of models exposed and emphasized from the very title of the exhibition. It was pleasing to find a solution to something that all architects agree: an architecture exhibition is not an easy thing to do." Moreover he adds: "The architects know well this transition that happens by using progressively larger scales. It departs from a principle intuitive often to achieve the precision and accuracy that requires a technical document".

The museum is divided into three exhibition spaces and two projection areas. Each space contains long tables, on which information is available for each project. The tables, in addition to organizing the tour, divided into six different thematic exhibition ... Cruz and Ortiz 1/200 1/2000: essential projects, the new stadium of Atletico Madrid, outstanding projects, curve geometry projects, projects where dominates the interior space and projects with broken geometries. Four photographs of José Manuel Ballester, National Photography Prize 2010, placed in strategic places give magnitude and beauty to the exhibition. "The collaboration of José Manuel Ballester, with five of his photographs must be understood as a gesture of generosity and friendship on their part to accept a subsidiary role which is not usual for him. These photos in large formats accentuate - without illustrate - certain times of exhibition" adds Antonio Ortiz.

This is an exhibition Architects Cruz and Ortiz understood as an ongoing project, "and we made some years ago -the first exhibition called" Architecture Synthesis "- in which we also use models to illustrate what we have just explained. This exposure would therefore an intensification of the above. And his - more aseptic and less pretentious title, 1/200 ... 1 / 2000 - is the recognition of the undeniable ability of the small suggestion.


"The New Rijksmuseum" wek film Hoogendijk, 2014

The exhibition is completed with the screening The New Rijksmuseum by the Dutch director Oeke Hoogendijk, 2014. A documentary film that tells the development of works and vicissitudes between directors, curators, politicians, architects and the museum, which were filmed for more than 10 years. During this long process, Oeke Hoogendijk and his team were always present. There were no important moment of the process when they were missing - especially those who were supposed to be troubled. The petite presence of Oeke, accompanied by his team, became a kind of family surprise for those who were attending a more or less difficult meeting or whenever a major milestone in the process occurred. To Oeke Hoogendijk this film is not only the description of a construction, even the story of an institution's renewal. It is in fact a parable, an X-ray of Dutch society and its functioning, a critique of the permanent bureaucratic obstacles and at the same time, a compliment to their willingness to innovation and energy that many of its members demonstrate in front of the difficulties. 

Duration: 93 minutes. 
The documentary was assigned and edited by Arquia Foundation, will be broadcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 18:00 documentary.


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