Memory Trame

Trame della memoria presents the architectural interventions of Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue carried out over thirty years at the head of their studio EMBT in places of great historical importance.

The exhibition presents objects and stories linked to emblematic projects, inviting the viewer to enter the universe of sketches, models, drawings and thoughts of Enric and Benedetta. Continuity is the key word. Continuity between the pre-existing and the new architectural intervention, as well as continuity of the EMBT architectural firm in the transition from the joint management of the two creators to Benedetta’s solo management after Enric’s death in 2000. Continuity based on imaginative play and integration with reality and history.

In a timeless and non-linear sequence, the working method and architecture created jointly by Enric and Benedetta are highlighted in this exhibition, as well as the ability of the EMBT studio to give continuity to the work over time and adapt it to different contexts, different geographical locations and changing situations. The authors’ house in Barcelona, a real laboratory for the transformation of a historic space, becomes the track on which to experiment and then implement major heritage regeneration projects. The Utrecht Town Hall, the Santa Catalina Market and Quarter in Barcelona, the Scottish Parliament, the transformation of Hafencity in the old port of Hamburg, and the new church complex and parish of St. Jacob in Ferrara offer their history to understand the delicate process of designing new buildings in places strongly marked by history.

This exhibition is a tribute to memory and continuity, but also to the intention of integrating into the fabric of tradition without renouncing invention and novelty.