UNFINISHED SPACES

As the darker Autumn evenings set in, our Autumn 2019 movie series kicked off with a documentary from sunny Havana. Titled ‘Unfinished Spaces,’ this is a documentary film about the revolutionary design of the National Art Schools (Cuba). The film tells the dramatic story of the art schools from their founding by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara to their eventual abandonment and fall into ruin and recent efforts to restore them.

 The three visionary architects Ricardo Porro, Roberto Gottardi, and Vittorio Garatti are interviewed and talk about the intense atmosphere of revolutionary Cuba, and how they strove to create an entirely new language of architecture, one without precedent. They also speak about why their design fell into disfavour, and how the complex was mostly abandoned uncompleted.

As the film shows, parts of the schools are in ruins while other parts are used today by young dancers and artists. These schools are on the watch list of the World Monuments Fund, and efforts to restore the abandoned buildings are being explored.

The plight of the three architects resonated with those in attendance, with a lively discussion carrying on for a good half-hour after the screening. 

Many thanks to all those who attended this screening.

Written by: Chris Musangi AIA