The lives of The Pavillion. Intermitent narration of an essential space

As part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the reconstruction of Mies van der Rohe's Pavillion, we find this temporary exhibition organized by the Fundació Mies Van der Rohe Barcelona. Also on the site we find 8 columns recently reconstructed from the competition "Crystallized Columns" by Luis Martínez Santa María, under the slogan ''I do not want to change the world. I only want to express it'.'

The exhibition, whose location is intended to maintain the link with the work of Mies, his thoughts, his understanding of scale, is complemented by a visit to the Pavilion. In two documentaries specially produced for the occasion : "One day in the Pavilion" shows some of the most unknown aspects of this space such as its maintenance or the organization of the different public events organized on it; "Reconstruction" gathers Oriol Bohigas, Fernando Ramos, Cristian Cirici, Isabel Bachs and Jordi Marqués to remember and know their points of view on the reconstruction of the pavilion, in which they actively participated.

The exhibition offers a journey through the lives of one of the key works of 20th- century architecture and one of the most hidden treasures in Barcelona. Built as the German Pavilion for the International Exposition in 1929 and also known as the Barcelona Pavilion, it was rebuilt in 1986 boosted by Mayor Pasqual Maragall and architect Oriol Bohigas and under the leadership of architects Ignasi de Solà-Morales, Fernando Ramos, Cristian Cirici and Isabel Bachs.

The work of the brilliant architect is recognized internationally as a manifesto of Modern Movement architecture and it has helped turn the city into a research and debate centre on the role of architecture in society.

The exhibition allows visitors to approach the Pavilion frontally from the Font Màgica de Montjuïc while its history is unveiled. The narrative is divided into three main sections corresponding to the Pavilion of 1929; the period between 1930 and 1986; and from its reconstruction to the present: The German Pavilion. The origins of a new order;  The absent Pavilion. Imagined architecture; and The Barcelona Pavilion. The recovered space. Following the tour, the visitor will cross the eight columns that preceded the Pavilion in 1929 and that have been reinterpreted by Luis Martínez Santa María through an international competition.

The exhibition is complemented with a visit to the Pavilion where two documentaries produced for the occasion are projected: “One day in the Pavilion” shows some of the most unknown aspects of this space such as maintenance and the organization of events open to diferent audiences. “The reconstruction” brought together Oriol Bohigas, Fernando Ramos, Cristian Cirici, Isabel Bachs and Jordi Marquès who shared their memories and their points of view on the reconstruction of the Pavilion.

The visit to the exhibition of the esplanade is free and can be complemented with the visit of the Pavilion where two documentaries produced for the occasion are projected.