Disney Empire in Silver: WD Concert Hall

Walt Disney is no stranger to us. Generations have grown with his cartoons; his stories are still told and his animations still feature in movie theaters around the world. Yet he is much more than a cartoonist. His media empire, fueled by his imagination and supported by his brother Roy, has done more than what many others could ever dream. He built a conglomerate that produces and distributes movies - not only cartoons, mind you - as well as operating a multitude of theme parks around the world, selling Disney branded merchandise, operating TV networks (including ABC and ESPN) and even producing Marvel comicbooks. At his death in 1966, he left a legacy that few other people can come close to in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles, to where he had moved from the midwestern United States. The empire the Disney brothers founded in 1923 in Hollywood eventually has grown to a giant with revenues of more than 45 billion dollars in 2013.

What better tribute, then, could be than to erect an eternal monument to the city he helped make? That is what Lillian Disney, Walt's wife from 1925 until his passing, had in mind when she donated 50 million dollars to the city of Los Angeles in 1987; she wanted the city to build a performing arts center to conmemorate her late husband. The center would serve as a reminder of Disney's dedication to both art and to Los Angeles. This donation was, essentially, the spark that led to the commissioning of one of the most remarkable buildings ever built in California. It was what made the Walt Disney Concert Hall possible.

It took the city of Los Angeles nearly 16 years to realize Lillian's dream, however. The Walt Disney Concert Hall opened its doors in 2003, four years after Lillian herself passed away - she did not live to see her husband's iconic tribute in real life. Built in downtown LA, on a strech of Grand Avenue between 1st and 2nd streets, the hall was officially opened on October 24, 2003 as the new home of the LA Philarmonic Orchestra and the LA Master Chorale and part of the larger Los Angeles Music Center.

Immediately after its opening, it became a source of intrigue for Los Angelinos that were not used to seeing such works of prominent architects within their city. The hall is by no means the first work of Frank Gehry of - the famous American architect - in California of course; him having designed many others including his own residence back in 1971. In fact, the majority of his works, especially those dating to his earlier years were in this state. However, it was only after the 1990s that he gained widespread recognition, during which period most of his commissionings were outside the United States.

Specifically, his Bilbao Guggenheim Museum project that opened in 1997, the topic of a future post on this blog, was a turning point in his career and led him to popularity in the architectural world; it was this structure that reshaped a sleeping Basque capital into an art mecca. However, Gehry had already started working on the Walt Disney Concert Hall in 1987 right after the donation from Disney's widow to LA, and his designs for the hall had already been completed and delivered to the city of Los Angeles back in 1991. Indeed, during the time he was working on the concert hall project, he was recognized for his architectural work and awarded the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 1989.

What made him more prominent and famous - a starchitect according to some - was his rather increasing use of polished metal surfaces, combined with deconstructivist aspects in his works. His projects after the 1990s have increasingly followed this pattern, starting with the Olympic Fish in Barcelona's famous olympic village overlooking the Mediterranean.Weisman Museum of Art in Minneapolis, the Dancing House (more commonly known as the Fred and Ginger Building) in Prague and of course the Guggenheim all were steps in this direction. But his Walt Disney Concert Hall project, which in fact predates most of these buildings but was delayed due to funding and building issues, is arguably his ultimate work in this scheme. His work has been such praised lately that he was labeled the most important architect of our age by the Vanity Fair and awarded the design works of the future memorial for Eisenhower.

Constructed as part of the LA Music Center, itself a complex of several buildings including the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion (that the hall replaced as the main venue), Ahmanson Theater and Mark Taper Forum, the Walt Disney Concert Hall hosts the philarmonic orchestra and the chorale of the city. The opera and the dance company occupy the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion next door, while the other two buildings host theater companies. As such, the hall's main purpose is to cater for orchestral musical performances, allowing the architecture to focus on delivering a superior acoustical performance.

The ground works for the hall began in 1992, with the first stage comprising of the underground parking garage completed in 1996 at a whopping cost of 110 million dollars. With the entire project far exceeding its anticipated budget, the construction stalled after this for a while, and it was not until 1999 that new funds were secured and construction of the hall itself began in earnest. In fact, it was during this stage that the external cladding was changed from stone to sheet metal to reduce costs - a decision that led to the hallmark look of the current structure. Lillian Disney herself died only days after the groundbreaking for the hall, on the very same day her beloved husband had passed away 33 years before.

The entire project, completed in 2003, cost more than 274 million dollars, mostly funded by private donors. In addition to the initial 50 million given by Lillian, a further 35 million dollars were handed by the Disney family, as well as another 25 million dollars from the Walt Disney Company itself.

Upon completion, the hall was lauded for both its architectural accomplishment and its acoustic design - designed by Yasuhisa Toyota. The concert hall's interior walls are covered with Douglas fir, while the hall features a large concert organ whose facade was also designed by Gehry himself. This organ was added to the hall in 2004 to be used in a special concert for the National Convention of the American Guild of Organists.

The interior of the hall sets the bar as high as possible as concert halls go. But it is the exterior of the building that inspires awe more often than not. Built in the deconstructivist style that Gehry is a well-known ambassador, the building gives different views from every angle. This architectural style is an offshoot of postmodern architecture characterized by fragmentation, manipulation of surfaces, introduction of unexpected angles and curves to break the dominance of rectilinear shapes in buildings. The end result is often a building that can represent controlled chaos in architecture.

Obviously, the Walt Disney Concert Hall is one such building, with almost no straight edges except those mandatory to fit physical constraints, both concave and convex surfaces, entry / exit points at the least expected locations and a sense of loss of direction when looked at from afar. By combining all these, the hall exemplifies how non-conventional shapes can still be part of everyday architecture without loss of functionality.

Still, the hall has not been without its issues. The concave sections of polished metal, combined with the high temperatures of Southern California, has resulted in sunlight being focused on streets and buildings nearby and temperatures of up to 60 degrees Celsius being recorded in these spots. In addition, glare caused by the reflective metal has resulted in increased danger of traffic accidents. To solve these issues, certain sections of the reflective metal coating were sanded over by Gehry's firm in 2005.

Downtown Los Angeles has been decaying for a long time. As the old center of one of the world's most renowned metropolises, it needed a hand to lift it up. The hand came in the form of a concert hall, that would not only serve as a means of revitalizing a once forgotten part of the city, but also as a tribute to a great man that reshaped entertainment into what we know now. Thanks to the Walt Disney Concert Hall by Gehry, a giant name and a great city will both have a new lease on life.

San Marco: An Alien in Venice

And the Doge said to them that they had done ill in that they had asked, through their messengers, that the Venetians should make ready a fleet for four thousand knights and their accruements and for an hundred thousand foot; whereas, of these knights, there were scarce more than a thousand, since the rest had gone to other harbours, and of these hundred thousand footmen, there were scarce more than fifty or sixty thousand. "Wherefore we desire," said the Doge, "that ye pay us the sums promised, which were afreed upon with us."

The 4th Crusade and its ultimate result, the sack of Constantinople, was documented by Robert de Clari - a lower level knight in the crusade, and these are part of his description of the events in his own words. As trivial and petty as the description of the events are, the whole adventure resulted in a major shift of power in the Western world. More specifically, it was a significant blow to Constantinople's power and a means of shifting the power it had held since the fall of Western Roman Empire back to the Italian peninsula - more accurately, to Venice.

 

The 4th Crusade, lasting between 1202 and 1204, did not only shift power, but it also moved vast amounts of wealth, in the form of money and priceless artwork alike, across the eastern Mediterranean. Originally meant to reconquer Jerusalem, the crusade devolved into the looting of one of the most magnificient cities of its time - Constantinople. The transfer of wealth helped change an already flourishing Adriatic town and propel it into the list of world powers. It paved the way for Venice to become what it is now - the most wealthy region of a country that is rightly proud of its art and architecture. And one of the most easily recognizable outcomes of this transformation has been the religious heart of Venice, the San Marco Cathedral.

Known as the Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco (Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark), the San Marco is the cathedral of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice since 1807, and easily the most well-known of the city's churches. It is also a rather unique piece of architecture in that it combines elements of Byzantian and Italian architectural forms. A more colloquial name - Chiesa di Oro (Church of Gold) - is also used when referring to the church, with regard to its opulent mosaics in gold. Located at the edge of the Piazza San Marco, and connected to the Doge's Palace - as it had once served as the chapel of the Doge himself  (the title "doge" is a variant of the title "duke", given to the chief magistrate of Venice).

There is evidence that an earlier church had been built at the same location between 828 and 832 by orders from the doge of the time. This construction was commissioned after a fleet of Venetian merchants stole relics of Mark the Evangelist from Alexandria in Egypt and a church to store the relics was needed. This church was burned down in a rebellion in 976, and rebuilt two years later. No architectural details pertaining to these two earlier churches are known.

The current cathedral was - probably - commissioned from 1073 onwards, although an exact date cannot be given. The year 1093 is frequently mentioned as the date of consecration, although other possible alternatives including 1084, 1102 and 1117 are also suggested. A specific date cannot be, however, given for the completion of the cathedral, as it is now known that the structure has evolved - both structurally and decoratively - over time, and still continues to do so today.

The influence of Byzantium on the architecture and the decoration of the church is evident. The basic floor plan of the church is of a Greek cross form (the western dome is larger that the others, based on Constantine's Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople), and this shape has not changed significantly throughout history. The golden mosaics that give the building its nickname were also heavily influenced by Byzantian art, thanks to mosaic workshops started by artisans that probably moved to the city from Constantinople. However, as Italian renaissance flourished in Italy, the influence of Byzantium in art and architecture declined, and so the building evolved in a more Italianate way and future additions bear witness to this fact. For example, the original domes were covered with lead covered wood domes to match with the nearby Doge's Palace built in Italian Gothic style.

Although the influence of Byzantium on the actual architecture of the building waned through time, the sack of Constantinople can be considered the single most important influence on the church. San Marco would not have been what it is now had the fourth crusade never happened. Many spoils from the sack ended up adorning the cathedral; columns, column capitals, friezes, statues alike all were brought over from Constantinople to decorate the church - in fact the original building, made of brick, was eventually covered with white marble from Byzantium that resulted in the current look of the structure.

The mosaics adorning the building, like in most churches, take their cues from both the Old Testament and the New Testament, particularly Genesis and the lives of Noah, Abraham, Moses and Joseph. The compositions in these mosaics strongly resemble those pictured in a Greek manuscript called the Cotton Genesis, itself assumed to have reached Venice after the fourth crusade.

Two significant additions to the building that came by way of the sack of Constantinople are the statue of Horses of San Marco and the statue of the Tetrarchs. Horses of San Marco were placed at the church around 1254, being removed from the Hippodrome of Constantinople during the fourth crusade. This statue is claimed to have originally adorned the Arch of Trajan in Rome, from where it had been moved to Constantinople, although this is not certain. The actual statue is in fact a replica, the original being located in St. Mark's Museum within the basilica. The other famous piece of sculpture, the statue of the Tetrarchs, was also looted from Constantinople and brought to the basilica around the same time.

 

In terms of function, the church also did evolve - originally serving as the private chapel of the Doge, the San Marco eventually became the state church (a crown it carried until 1807, shortly after Venetian Republic dissolved and Venice became part of Austrian territory). After this date, the cathedral assumed a patriarchal role, housing the Patriarch of Venice. The cathedral was administered, throughout its history, by the procurators of Venetian Republic, as with most major Venetian buildings; this title indeed exists to this very day.

Venice was a merchant, warrior republic. It rose to power through the weakness of other nations. This is more evident than anywhere else in the dazzling golden beauty of San Marco; an elaborate, intricate amalgam of Byzantian and Italian art showing us once again that architecture is in perpetual continuity.

Redeeming the World, Single Soul at a Time

Few people that have walked this planet have left a mark as strong as Jesus of Nazareth has. As the central figure of Christianity - the world's largest religion in terms of followers - and believed to be the son of God by the followers of this faith, Jesus has definitely been a source of power and inspiration alike throughout history, and continues to do so to this day. Thus, he is also the person that has been visualized in different media, such as painting, iconography, sculpture, more than any other human being. Wherever Christianity has spread, his image can be found in one form or another, symbolizing the power of God, his faith and its followers.

Obviously, like in most religious architecture, exaggeration plays a strong part when it comes to the depiction of Jesus. Throughout history, churches, cathedrals, mosques, temples and other houses of faith have always been in a not-so-silent race to the largest and most striking, and religious sculpture is no different. Statues of Jesus have been built in massive dimensions all over the globe, especially in predominantly Catholic societies where the power of the church is stronger; in fact, some statues of Jesus have even been built underwater.

One statue of this son of God however, thanks to its location, its imposing altitude, its presence in a large Catholic society among other factors, has beat its holy competition and become an icon. The Christ the Redeemer statue (Cristo Redentor in Portuguese) overlooking the breathtaking city of Rio de Janeiro is, by far, the most memorable statue dedicated to Jesus, and rightly so.

Built in nine years between 1922 and 1931, Cristo Redentor statue stands 30 meters tall - excluding an 8 meter high pedestal - on top of the Corcovado mountain, which itself rises 700 meters above the city of Rio. The statue was constructed from reinforced concrete and soapstone, and held the title of the world's tallest Art Deco statue from its completion until 2010, when it surrendered this title to another statue of Jesus in Poland.

As is common with the Art Deco style, the statue combines tradition motifs with machine age images, resulting in an amalgam of geometric shapes, heavy ornamentation and powerful symmetry. Most popular during the 1920s through to 1940s, the Art Deco had appeared as an answer to man's struggle to reconcile the impact of industrialization and its not yet dissolved ties with tradition and crafts.

An idea to build a statue of Jesus on top of the Corcovado mountain was first brought up in mid 1850s, when Catholic priest Pedro Maria Boss sought financing for a statue from Princess Isabella of Portugal. This idea was floated for a lengthy peiod before being entirely dismissed in 1889 when Brazil became a secular  republic. A second proposal was made in 1921 by the Catholic Circle of Rio de Janeiro, who organized an event to rally support and collect donations for the construction of the statue.

During the design stage of the monument, several alternatives were considered; these included a Christian cross, Jesus holding a globe and a spherical pedestal that would symbolize the world. However, the current design was eventually chosen for the statue, and construction began the following year.

The statue was sculpted by Polish-French sculptor Paul Landowski, based on designs of local engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, and it was built from reinforced concrete instead of steel to ensure rigidity needed for the stability of the cross shape. The face of Jesus was designed by Romanian scluptor Gheorghe Leonida. Finishing material was selected as soapstone, thanks to its endurance and ease during sculpting.

Completed in 1931, the monument was floodlit to ensure maximum visual impact for viewers; however a plan to light the floodlights from Rome by Guglielmo Marconi - the Italian inventor of long distance radio communication - did not work out as envisioned; local workers had to light the statue.

The statue was restored several times throughout its lifetime, mostly as a means to reduce erosion due to nature. Lightning strikes and wind erosion are the two largest contributors of damage to the statue, and two recent lightning strikes in 2008 and 2014 both caused visible structural damage that required repairs. Restorations that are worth mentioning were carried out in 1990, and from 2003 through 2010. In 2006, a chapel was consecrated under the statue, which paved the way for baptisms and weddings to be performed in this location; this obviously only added to the statue's popularity.

Much more recently, travel blogger and photographer Lee Thompson climbed to the top of the statue, and took selfies from this location. In doing so, he brought together two different worlds two millennia apart - the world of Jesus, and the world of smartphones. Obviously, no one cam claim these worlds seem awkward together.