The Research Centre of Modern Architecture in the Amazon (Núcleo Arquitetura Moderna na Amazônia – NAMA), the Modern Amazon Journal (Revista Amazônia Moderna) and the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM) hold the exhibition L’Amazonie en construction: l’architecture des fleuves volants [The Amazon under construction: the architecture of the flying rivers], from July 19 to August 3 at the Maison du Brésil in Paris, in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of this iconic building designed by Le Corbusier. This is the first time that the Brazilian Amazon will be exhibited in Europe from an architectural point of view.

“The Amazon under construction is divided into two themes: the “Fantastic Amazon” and the “Concrete Amazon”, which unveil not only a vision of breathtaking landscapes and territories but also the integration between them and the realities of cities and infrastructure. The exhibition presents works recognized for their architectural quality and their possible contribution to the phenomenon of the Flying Rivers. The Flying Rivers, or “breath of the Amazon trees”, emits a huge amount of water vapor into the atmosphere and carries rain clouds to regions far from the Amazon.

Given the vastness of the Amazon rainforest, how is it possible to guarantee quality of life and infrastructure for some 25 million inhabitants in the cities and communities of the legal Amazon?

Development policies in the Amazon in the second half of the 20th century set the goal of integrating the Amazon forest with a high environmental cost. In contrast, modern architecture in Brazil has a symbiotic relationship with the territory and a deep connection with tradition and technological quality. In this scenario, how can architecture contribute to the quality of the climate in the Amazon?

The curator Marcos Cereto has made a selection of works by big names in Brazilian architecture related to some names of the contemporary scene: Álvaro Vital Brazil, Aleph Zero, AMZ Arquitetos, Brasil Arquitetura, Cris Xavier, Diogo Lazari, Gustavo Utrabo, João Castro Filho, Joaquim Guedes, José Afonso Portocarrero, José Bina Fonyat, Karina Vieralves, Laurent Troost, Lelé, Lucio Costa, Marcelo Borborema, Marina Marangon, Mario Emílio Ribeiro, Marcelo Rosenbaum, Mércia Parente, Milton Monte, Oscar Niemeyer, Oswaldo Arthur Bratke, Patrícia O’Reilly, Paulo Antunes Ribeiro, Paulo Chaves, Roberto Burle Marx, Roberto Moita, Severiano Porto, Vicente Mas Gonzales and Vilanova Artigas. These works show several possible interpretations for Amazonian architecture and cities rather than one pre-defined vision, but rather an “Amazon under construction”.

The photographs are from Marcel Gautherot, Leonardo Finotti, Maíra Acayaba, Cristobal Palma, Hugo Segawa, Rogério Assis, Severiano Porto, Gonzalo Melgar, Luciano Spinelli, Daniel Ducci, Juscelino Simões, Jean Dallazen, Carlos Blau, Antônio Junqueira, José Afonso Portocarrero and Ruy Tone. The exhibition also includes the movie Native American city and Neo-indian Metropolis by director Isa Ferraz Grinspum.”