The Ultimate Balance and Beauty of the Natural World Felt at the Gaudi Exhibition

※Photography was basically allowed for the most part.

This time, I went out with S-chan, who is appearing on note for the first time.
We had been saying we wanted to go to an "art museum" for a while but hadn't made it happen; although we occasionally went out for lunch, this was our first time going out to pursue our mutual interests.

We went to the experiential "Gaudi Exhibition" being held at "VS." within Grand Green Osaka—the same venue where we saw the Ryuichi Sakamoto exhibition last year.

I chose it because I figured "viewing Buddhist statues" would be too niche, and this would be an exhibition like the World Expo.
Just as I hoped, it felt exactly like a "Gaudi Pavilion at the World Expo," and was actually even more fulfilling than that.

Prayers and devotion passed down through generations

The Sagrada Familia has the longest construction period in the world.
The fact that the thoughts and feelings of not just Gaudi himself, but of many people, have been passed down through generations is in itself miraculous.

Why did such a miracle occur?
It can only be described as devotion born from "faith."

This is because, despite being such a massive project, it does not rely on public funds and is financed by "admission fees" and people's "donations."

It is precisely because of people's thoughts and devotion that this church, the "Sagrada Familia," is still being carefully passed down today, with the dream of its completion.

Gaudi left behind a work that gathers people's thoughts to that extent.
This is the reason why I am so strongly drawn to him.

The concept is a "living organism"

Gaudi followed the laws of the natural world and designed the architecture as a living organism.
Numerous "obsessions" are structured to resonate with nature, attempting to imitate the natural world.

Gaudi aimed for architecture that, while being an artificial object, is expressed as a product of nature.

The Sagrada Familia has been under construction for
over 140 years!

In recent years, I often see features on the "Sagrada Familia" on TV, and every time I watch, I am amazed at how thoroughly every detail is calculated.

The design, which makes you feel the light, the wind, and even the air of a forest, is enough to make you sigh in wonder.
I have never visited the site myself, but I wonder how moving it would be to see it in person.

It has been over 140 years since construction began in 1882.
Construction has continued for about 100 years since the designer, architect Antoni Gaudi, passed away.

The main tower, the "Tower of Jesus Christ," will finally be completed this year, 2026, and the overall completion is expected around 2035.

The natural curve: "Funicular structure"

One of the major characteristics of Gaudi's architecture is the "funicular structure."
It was born from "inverted hanging experiments" used to derive ideal curved structures.

When a string is hung with weights attached, it naturally forms a curve following gravity.
He believed that this shape was the most rational and beautiful.
It is easy to understand if you imagine a necklace.

The beauty of a form that does not defy nature became the consistent essence of Gaudi's architecture.

Finding value in phenomena so common that they are overlooked.
I felt that his genius lay in that very perspective.

Indeed, the "Sagrada Familia" is also a collection of parabolas drawn by nature.
We also tried our hand at the funicular at the venue and gave shape to an architectural design.

An organic body despite being an artificial object.

The interior columns branch out like large trees to support the building, the stained glass captures light like sunlight filtering through trees, and that light reflects the passage of time into the space.

Including the mechanism that incorporates the natural changes from blue to yellow and then to orange, the Sagrada Familia is truly a "living architecture."

Initially, the "funicular" was merely a structural experiment, but by having inclined columns, irregular stones, and all sorts of different materials resonate with each other to establish the natural world, his ideal architecture was established.

A space where straight lines hardly exist and curves dominate.
When you look at it, you might even be tricked into thinking the building itself is breathing.

Gaudi's personality and spirit as seen through graphology

What was interesting at the exhibition was the analysis using graphology.
It was an attempt to read the characteristics of his thinking from the pressure, rhythm, and shape of his handwriting.

Decoration = Architecture

It is said that his original personality and spirit can be seen within that.

As a result, Gaudi as an architect was the type to not be bound by preconceptions and to thoroughly explore the essence.
Even more impressive was the idea that "decoration = architecture."

Decoration is not just ornamentation; it is a part of architecture, and it has no meaning unless it is tied to function and structure. He held such a philosophy.

His philosophy was that no matter how wonderful a decoration might be, if it is not related to the building as a whole, it is a "useless product."

"The value of labor" then and now

In the modern era of advanced mechanization, materials have become inexpensive, and efficient construction has become possible.

However, Gaudi criticized this, noting that materials and structures have become separated, leading to the creation of "empty designs."

In other words, materials and architecture must create a synergistic effect with each other.

In the past, architecture where decoration and structure were integrated was created through the skills of stonemasons and human labor.
However, the observation that "something was lost in exchange for convenience" left a lasting impression on me.

Decoration has the color of its era

Gaudi also perceived "light" as a design element.
He stated that the changes in position, angle, color, and time all constitute a space.

In the first place, there is nothing monotonous in the natural world; everything exists through contrast.
That is why the philosophy that architecture should also have color is convincing, and that was precisely the thorough"pursuit of essence."It was.

Gaudi's final moments

In 1926, Gaudi was hit by a streetcar and passed away three days later.
Because he was emaciated and dressed in shabby clothes, he was initially treated as a vagrant, and his identity was not known.

For a legendary architect of his caliber, it was an all too sudden end.

Aside 1 - More like nursing than support

At the end, there was a participatory art panel where visitors could freely draw pictures on small pieces of paper and stick them onto an illustration of the Sagrada Familia covering an entire wall, and I made the mistake of drawing on the backing paper of the sticker instead.

I only realized it after S-chan pointed it out, and she even had to arrange for me to try again; that was no longer support, it was "nursing" (laughs).

Aside 2 - Talking for 10 minutes, 3 seconds on air

On the way to lunch, we were interviewed on the street.
It seems they are planting trees in this area, "Umekita," to create the "Umekita Forest," and they asked for our opinions.
Although we talked for about 10 minutes, I was stunned to find that it was only a few seconds in the actual broadcast.

After talking that much, it wasn't even a minute, let alone 3 seconds... We laughed about how "that's how it goes" and wrapped up a fulfilling day.

I summarized the exhibition content in a [1 minute 18 second] short video.
↓↓↓

The final promotional video of the exhibition was definitely over 10 minutes long, but I summarized it into [3 minutes 44 seconds]. ↓↓↓