Summer Abroad in Brazil

Terra Brasilis Studio: Trope of the Tropics; the Brazilian Modern Paradigm

June 10–July 4, 2010

Instructor: Sandra Vivanco

Description

Starting with the anthological Week of Modern Art of 1922 and culminating with the construction of one of the most significant utopias of the XX century, Brazil is paradigmatic of the new and the modern. Historically Brazil has been fertile territory for the tension and dialogue inherent in different artistic manifestations within literature, music, and the visual arts: photography, film, painting, sculpture, and architecture.

These interrelated modes of cultural expression help define a rich cultural concoction surrounded by the mystique of tropical exuberance. “Brazilianness” is an interesting mixture of Western ideology, layered over a violent history of colonization and slavery. These specific conditions of modernity create compelling ideological tensions between typical categories such as national/cosmopolitan, rural/urban, and central/peripheral.

The exchange originally established between the native artistic traditions of Brazil and the avant-garde languages of Europe at the dawn of the last century act as a foil for a series of explorations—physical and conceptual—in which students engage during their time in Sâo Paulo.

Together with their peers from Escola da Cidade, CCA students construct temporary installations that seek to transform existing urban infrastructure to address social and cultural issues germane to city life in the largest Latin American metropolis.

Prior to the studio part of the class, participants visit three other major cities: Rio de Janeiro, best known for Carnival and the fluidity of its modern architecture; Brasilia, the visionary nation-state completed in 1960; and Belo Horizonte, one of the few planned cities in the Americas and locus of cultural memory in Brazil.

Preprogram

Students are required to attend two introductory lectures in early May 2010, which also include required readings and an architectural analysis and design charrette exercise that specifically address the readings / film screenings.

Host Institution

The Escola da Cidade (www.escoladacidade.edu.br) is a dynamic institution founded twelve years ago by some of the most prolific and critical contemporary architects, artists, and thinkers in Sâo Paulo. Located downtown, it utilizes the city as a laboratory for exploring new architectural and urban notions.

About the Instructor

Sandra Vivanco is an associate professor of Architecture and Cultural Diversity at California College of the Arts and is a principal of the San Francisco-based firm, A+D, Architecture+Design. The work of A+D has been featured prominently in the printed and televised national media and has received notable international recognition. Several of Vivanco's San Francisco houses are featured in two recent books: San Francisco Modern Homes and Casas en la Ciudad, Architectural Houses. A+D was one of 10 Architects to Watch featured in last year’s California Home & Design magazine.

As a 2003 Fulbright scholar, Vivanco explored the role of gender in Peruvian Modernity and taught in the graduate architecture school at the Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería in Lima. Since 2004 she has led three different summer studios in Lima, Perú; a semester-long urban studio in Mexico City and another summer studio in São Paulo, Brazil. Vivanco has authored several articles on Latin American 20th-century architecture—specifically the post war condition in Brazil—including chapters in Transculturation, Cities, Spaces and Architectures in Latin America and Baroque New Worlds. BA, University of California at Berkeley; MArch, Columbia University

Prerequisite

Undergraduate: completion of Studio 4 by summer 2010 and instructor approval.
Graduate: instructor approval

In addition all students must be in good academic, conduct, and financial standing for the 2009–10 academic year.

Course satisfies

This course satisfies 3 credits of Advanced Studio, a Diversity Studies seminar, or a Diversity Studies studio.

Program fee

$4,350 dollars + $50 summer registration fee
Program fee includes:
3 units, housing, breakfast, local transportation, admission fees, local transportation.

Program fee does not include:
airfare to and from Brazil, meals, travel insurance, medical or personal insurance (students must provide their own insurance).

Eligibility

This course is designed for current CCA degree students; however, students from other NAAB-accredited colleges may be able to enroll on a space-available basis after March 31. If you are not a CCA degree student and are interested in enrolling, please contact the Office of Special Programs at 510.594.3710.