Sunday, October 5, 2008

Otherworldy Garden

The September issue of Wallpaper* has a great fashion layout photographed by Paola Kudacki. While the clothes were stunning, what caught my eye was the unlikely setting for such sartorial splendor: the Brion-Vega Cemetery in the Veneto region of Italy. Designed by Carlo Scarpa, it was completed in 1978, the year of his death (he was laid to rest there).

Unlike most cemeteries, the Tomba Brioni eschews statuary and ornamentation in favor of minimal architecture and geometric forms which interact with the space around the structures to create serene, open areas. He described it as an architectural kind of formal poetry, and the space is as thoughtfully composed as a poem, one that lends itself to reflection and appreciation. It has a spare, somber beauty that reminds me of an Etruscan necropolis. Scarpa's creation is a place which is meditative and timeless - a true resting place for the departed.

1 comment:

Eccentric Scholar said...

A necropolis as "concrete poem"! Thanks for sharing this amazing place!