Mega events, architecture, city and aesthetics: the Olympic Games 2016

• Grant number: 12/02079-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2012
• End date: May 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning - Fundamentals of Architecture and Urbanism
• Principal Investigator: Leandro Silva Medrano
• Grantee: Renata Latuf de Oliveira Sanchez
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FEC). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The recent achievements in the "cultural" field by Brazil come along with a range of pertinent questions about what kind of society, architecture, space and aesthetics we would produce in our country. The culture of "mega events" - among which are included the World Cup, to be held in Brazil in 2014, and the Olympic Games in Rio, in 2016 - produces relevant consequences in the national scenery, also affecting international sphere. We intend to discuss in this project specially the case of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, therefore analyzing the winning project of the International Competition for the Rio 2016 Olympic Park Urban Masterplan, from the English group AECOM. We propose in this analysis an evaluation not only under Architecture perspective, but also under a Philosophy one, which is understood to provide necessary theoretic groundwork to a consistent analysis in aesthetical and social phenomenon that is produced on account of the event. Thus, we will make use of Theodor Adorno and his work Aesthetical Theory to form a conceptual basis in Aesthetics, along with a solid architectural analysis of the project, therefore using Architecture Theorists as well. We intend to comprehend, above all, the paradigms involved in the formulation of this new Brazilian space, through the "mega architectural expressions": a mega-space, not only in its physical dimensions, but also ideological ones. (AU)