Making any kind of intervention at Casa Batlló would cause most architects to balk. The hallucinogenic ‘House of the Dragon’ is considered to be one of Antoni Gaudí’s finest works: a slice of surreal fantasy that stands proud on Barcelona’s grand Passeig de Gràcia. Open any guidebook and you will find images of its glorious ripples, adorned with glistening trencadís (the famed tile-and-glass technique) and a spectacular roof line that emulates a sinewy reptilian spine.
Inside is no less remarkable. Gaudí’s ode to the principles of Catalan Modernisme is exemplified through fluid, organic lines that feel as if they have emerged from the ocean, with astonishingly articulated details including spotted stained glass, wobbly woodwork and an internal azure atrium.
It has been 100 years since Gaudí’s death, and to mark the occasion an entirely new initiative has been mounted within the building’s second floor. Dubbed Casa Batlló Contemporary, this gallery is designed to bring artists into direct dialogue with the architect’s innovative design principles, through a series of temporary exhibitions.
But how does one go about creating a suitably blank canvas, which does not betray the legacy of its forefather? This was the primary concern for Mesura, the Barcelona-based architecture studio tasked with the project. Its team explains that ‘Gaudí’s architecture is extraordinarily powerful and evocative. It naturally tends to dominate any space it inhabits.’
To produce something fitting, then, they needed to examine his founding principles, as opposed to trying to directly imitate formal elements. ‘Fidelity to Gaudí’s concept meant understanding his architecture as something alive – fluid, organic, and deeply connected to nature – rather than as a fixed historical image,’ they add.
Echoing as opposed to emulating was key. Spending time with the beautifully crafted materials and surfaces throughout the house proved eye-opening, particularly when it came to developing an elaborate, undulating metal ceiling that is punctuated by watery ripples. ‘The space needed to remain open, flexible, and capable of hosting contemporary artistic practices,’ says Mesura. ‘This required an approach based on restraint: a contemporary intervention that is clearly of its time, yet light enough to coexist with multiple artistic voices without overwhelming them or the original architecture.’
While Gaudí’s craftspeople would have rendered every element of a design by hand, Mesura worked with Oxido Studio to employ a robotic arm that could create the precision formations they desired. For the former, using cutting-edge technology felt natural: ‘Gaudí himself was radically experimental, constantly pushing the limits of the tools available to him. In that sense, employing contemporary fabrication technologies is entirely aligned with his spirit.’
Due attention was also given to existing elements that needed to be preserved. A stained-glass window and door act as anchors in what is ostensibly a white space, which are again echoed in a floor that has been reimagined with pieces of original mosaic. According to Mesura, ‘ideally, the intervention should feel natural – as if it had always belonged there – while still provoking curiosity and a sense of discovery’.
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The first exhibition to be held beneath this new, shimmering ceiling skin is United Visual Artists, a London-based creative practice led by British artist Matt Clark. The show consists of new installations that consider Gaudí’s dedication to the unbridled human imagination, and bringing joyous sensation into the environments we inhabit. This included a one-night public event, where a series of digital projections reimagined the building’s façade as a futuristic canvas filled with natural arcs, twists and coils, all the while dancer Fukiko Takase performed through its lit interior. For Clark, it was designed to be a transportive, perhaps even ecstatic experience: ‘Gaudí once said that the straight line belongs to man, and the curve to God.’
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A similar ode to the building’s rich history has also led the creative direction of a far more residential space, on the third floor. Until recently it was owned and occupied by the Batllo family, and while the Mesura project grappled with producing something of a blank canvas that still stayed true to the essence of the building, Paola Navone of Otto studio imagined this final space as an actual home. ‘At first, I felt that intervening in Casa Batlló was almost impossible. Everything changed when I stopped thinking about designing over Gaudí and started imagining that this residence was my own home in Barcelona,’ she says.
Nevertheless, the project involved painstaking restoration to reveal elements that had long been lost, including undulating ceilings, floral painted stucco and an original door handle. Expert craftsmen and restorers worked tirelessly to create a seamless fusion of Gaudí’s original design principles and modern recreations. The rooms have been conceived as domestic spaces available for hire, and as such are filled with furnishings that allude to respite and conviviality. Ethereal chandeliers and a dazzling emerald mosaic bar, along with drenching shades of sage, ultramarine and turquoise that cover both walls and textiles, are all in-keeping with the spirit of the dragon.
‘Beyond the Façade’ by Matt Clark (United Visual Artists) runs at Casa Batlló Contemporary until 17 May. For more details visit contemporary.casabatllo.es
