117. Chandigarh:Possibility in Engaging the Unknown in the Incomplete with Remi Papillault

Original Drawing by Tori Haynes

This week, we sit down with Remi Papillault to discuss the topic of his new book, and the subject of his ongoing interests: the development of Chandigarh and Le Corbusier’s hand in its shaping.

Timestamp Outline 

1:00    Remi Papillaut begins the discussion by discussing the Millowner’s Association building attributed to Le Corbusier in Ahmedabad. They discuss B.V. Doshi’s role in the development of the building design

5:00    Vikram asks Remi why Le Corbusier’s work is such a focus of his research?

6:15    “The question of the conception [of architecture] is a great opening for [the students] to practice architecture” 

8:45    Remi reflects on childhood visits to Ronchamp

12:25    How is the culture shock traceable in Le Corbusier’s letters?

13:00    In his letters to his mother, Le Corbusier details his sentiments in arriving in India.  

15:00    Remi describes a recent film project and book on Pierre Jeanneret

17:00    Le Corbusier and fascism 

20:00    Pierre Jeanneret was most notable for his furniture, but no one really researched his work that registered at larger scales, like his architecture, or his urban planning work. 

21:00    Is there a generational divide between ours and now concerning interest in Le Corbusier’s work? 

23:00    What are some of your readings of Chandigarh? What are some major takeaways from your research? What is your thinking about Le Corbusier’s relationship to the Maciej Nowicki and Hannes Meyer plans for Chandigarh? How did Le Corbusier respond to the Meyer plan?

25:30    “He took without saying a word on this ‘borrow’ of the Nowicki/Meyer plan [...] Like an artist who borrows from others.”    RP

28:30    “Chandigarh is kind of like Ronchamp - a dreamwork. Le Corbusier kind of just did it with great detail and intimacy in a strange land.”    VP

29:30    What about Le Corbusier’s complicated relationships with others? 

30:00    Jane Drew, Maxwell Fry, Hannes Meyer 

38:00    “For many people, Chandigarh is their creation”     RP

38:20    Where do you think Pierre Jeanneret and Le Corbusier stood with each other in the end?

39:14    “They worked together for five decades, they were cousins, but in the end they were strangers. They didn’t talk so much, architecture was their goal. Pierre Jeanneret left everything for architecture.”    PJ

42:40    discussion of the Museum of Knowledge project in Chandigarh

54:00    How do you engage the past as a living present?

56:00Discussion of the development of Rome from Trajan onwards