There are places that inspire us and the more we know about them, the more we like them. I encourage you to knock on the door of these Uruguayan homes that have the key to open the mind and creative thinking.
PITTAMIGLIO CASTLE
Walking along the Mahatma Gandhi boulevard of Montevideo, you will find an marvelous replica of the Winged Victory of Samothrace among conventional facades. This significant female figure without arms or head resting on the bow of a ship, is oriented towards Río de la Plata. Sculpted on the facade of the castle and facing the sea, it represents the victory of life and the journey towards eternity. The whole building is a game of dualisms. By chance, his current access is by the Mahatma Gandhi boulevard. However, the historical access is by Francisco Vidal street. This is a casual duality that augurs the bipolarities of the artist Humberto Pittamiglio.
Always in construction
Humberto Pittamiglio acquired the land on which stands the castle with 23 years. The castle was his residence. He think in a construction that would never end. In this way, he represented the Humid Way of alchemy and life as a journey.
For that idea of road to eternity, the castle has numerous corridors, staircases, as well as blind doors and windows that lead nowhere, as happens in certain stages of our existence. There are 33 doors because 33 is a number with a historical symbolism. In the particular case of stairs, for example, there is a forked ladder, which represents the zodiac sign of Aries, and therefore, spring, flowering, rebirth. Nothing in this building is random.
The construction has two wings, one in which the space is open to the spiritual energy of the exterior. Its floor depicts the sun with 8 rays. The other wing of the building is labyrinthine, more chaotic and suffocating. That's life.
The number 8 and the H
The 8 is the fusion of two circles. The circle as a form symbolizes perfection. The number 8 represents infinity when it's spinned. In this symbolic obsession, the H is the letter that connects two worlds. The H with its middle line, connects right and left, earthly and celestial world. In that sense, he decided that his original name "Umberto" should be added 8 letters. So he changed it by adding an H. According to the alchemy, the thin line that joins the two columns of the letter H forms a bridge, which represents, the balance, the human heart and the pulsation of the breath.
The materials
There are no flat surfaces and wood has different shapes and colors. The wood is predominant in the space where Pittamiglio's room and laboratory are because the wood represents the warmth and the family, even though he lived only with the people at his service. The central room has black veneer of wood and another room is completely painted green.
There are stained glass windows from Italy and several mirrors that allow us to see each other from different points of view as esoteric sciences propose.
All the architecture and ornamental elements of this building have stories, perhaps many of them still to be discovered. Everything has a spiritual and vital connection that invites any creative mind to inquire and imagine.
CASAPUEBLO
Now we travel to the neighboring department of Maldonado. In the town of Punta Ballena, in perfect connection with the sea and the horizon, Carlos Paéz Vilaró built his summer residence. It took 36 years to put up it in a dominant white color.
The result was 13 floors with a terrace facing the Atlantic.
Build with and for friends
In an artisanal way he built this impressive building without plans. He was inspired by workers who work the adobe to make their houses. The fundamental materials he used were stucco and whitewashed cement. Initially, he raised "La pionera" thanks to the wood that the sea dragged to the shore. Later he would cover it with cement and he would add the new rooms.
Vilaró wanted a home where there was space to offer a stay to the friends who visited him. This sense of friendship is perceived in the construction process. Neighbours and Fishermen in the area helped him collect materials. It's said that when a friend planned to visit him for a week, Vilaró replied that would make a room for him if he stay one week more.
The sun ceremony
Nowadays as a tourist attraction, the sunset is accompanied by Vilaró's voice reciting a poem. The experience is an exciting and recommended artistic connection.
The materials
Casapueblo is the product of materials found in abandoned buildings. Some of the doors belong to the ships that reached the coast. Vilaró said in an interview that he had changed his paintings for new materials. In the interior of Casapueblo, there is a museum with the works of the prolific artist inspired by his travels around the world in his last 50 years.
7 differences between Pittamiglio Castle and Casapueblo
⊗ Pittamiglio's esotericism versus Vilaró 's clarity
⊗ Hermeticism versus extroversion
⊗ Architect trained versus self-taught artist
⊗ Planned project versus spontaneous project
⊗ Architectural work versus craft work
⊗ Unfinished work versus finished work
⊗ Encrypted work versus work explained
7 similarities between Pittamiglio Castle and Casapueblo
⊕ Do not use straight lines
⊕ They get unpredictable shapes
⊕ No room is equal to another
⊕ Labyrinthine design
⊕ They have a special bond with the sun
⊕ The outside world influences the interpretation of his work
⊕ Their homes are their great work and their workshop
These are two different architectural realities but very close in the artist's need to communicate through the space he inhabits. The creatives in search of new codes can find in any of them a way of inspiration and a constant chain of artistic and cultural references.
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