VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS & NICLOW
DISCOVER ITS ORIGINS
VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS & NICLOW
WHAT IS
OCCIDENS
The West is not a civilization nor a geographical location. It’s a mental region that implies a horizon of humanity.
Its accomplishments throughout time are the fruit of the
encounter between civilizations and they are valid for all
cultures.
The West has attained certain universal forms and
their disappearance or decline would affect the whole of
mankind. The path of History is the path toward the West, in
its cultural perspective and its geographic route. In this new
stage of History, the West has as a challenge its encounter
with the East. This confluence should generate new syntheses, new cultures, new horizons of humanity and of
excellence.
Occidens is an exposition that presents the roots and
culture of the West in an attractive way, inviting the visitor to
reflect on the future.
VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS & NICLOW
THE
SETTING
VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS & NICLOW
THE
SETTING
The Cathedral of Pamplona contains artistic expressions from every era, of each development, of each crossroads in which our History has been immersed. As such, it is
a symbol of the West and the ideal setting for the Occidens
exposition.
VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS & NICLOW
NARRATIVE
LEVELS
VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS & NICLOW
NARRATIVE
LEVELS
OCCIDENS is considered a narrative project more akin
to cinematography than the conventional museum designs:
it is the beginning of a discovery.
OCCIDENS proposes different narrative threads that
allow for various levels of understanding. Through the
different expressions, the spectator composes his own
vision. Thanks to the symbols, gestures, images, objects,
sounds, texts, projections, codes, smells, architecture, and
atmosphere, the spectator begins to build -together with
his personal life experience- his own exposition.
VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS & NICLOW
ARCHITECTURE
VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS & NICLOW
ARCHITECTURAL
PLAN
OCCIDENS takes place within a space of 4,500 square
meters.
The journey takes place in the setting of the Cathedral buildings, rediscovering new archeological excavations, halls of the
Romanesque Palace, remains of the Episcopal Palace of the 12th
century and the construction of the Palace of the Archdeacon of
the 14th century.
01.
01
1.. Entrance
Entrance to
oO
OCCIDENS
CCID
DENS
06.
0
6.. Library
Lib
brarry Passageway
Passageway
11.
11
1.. M
Modern
odern Hall
Hall
02.
0
2.. IIntroductory
ntro
oducto
tor
orry H
Hall
all
07.
0
7.. Ro
Romanesque
omanesque Chapel
Chapel
12.
1
2.. Contemporary
Co
ontempo
orar
arr Hall
03.
0
3.. Clo
Cloister
C
lo
oister
ois
08.
0
8.. Lo
Lower
owerr P
Portico
orrtic
tico
13.
1
3.. P
Palace
alaace P
Patio
atio
tio
04.
0
4.. Archeological
Archeo
olo
olo
ogic
gical Hall
Hall
09.
0
9.. Medieval
Medie
dievall G
Garden
arden
14.
1
4.. R
Refectory
efecto
efe
tor
orry
05.
0
5.. H
Hall
alll o
off tthe
he M
Martyrs
arrtyrrs
10.
1
0.. Ancient
Ancie
cient Ho
House
ouse
15.
1
5.. Medieval
Medie
dieval K
Kitchen
ittc
VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS & NICLOW
THE STEEL
CARPET
The journey takes place on a steel carpet that acts as
the conduit for the entire exposition: it serves as a guide to
the visitor while at the same time it is an artistic component
of the exposition, meandering around the various remains
of ancient architecture and floating between archaic atmospheres without touching the footprints of the past.
VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS & NICLOW
The steel carpet twists, is perforated and folded to
become the real guide to the exposition. A unique resource,
both flexible and ambivalent, unfolds all its possibilities to
generate the iconography capable of providing the homogeneity to a collection dissimilar in time and in space.
VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS & NICLOW
MUSEOGRAPHY
VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS & NICLOW
MUSEOGRAPHY
The museography offers a discourse in keeping with
the unfolding of the different narrative plots.
The main plot is suggested by the perforations in the
steel carpet.
The projections throughout the different halls offer an
emotional dialogue which is complementary to the main
idea.
The profound sounds that emanate from each of the
remains alternate between inspirational music in some
spaces with Gregorian and Baroque conforming itself to the
parallel theme.
The agreement between the container and the content -original architecture and pieces of art- materializes the
passing of time, offering the historic understanding of the
exposition.
VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS & NICLOW
CONCLUSION
The project goes beyond the exposition. Occidens
has a universal scope and attempts to reproduce similar
expositions in other western countries, to serve as a stimulus of reflection and a permanent reminder of the origins of
our culture.
After the journey through the history of the West
comes the unavoidable question: And now what? How do
we confront the future?
VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS & NICLOW
WHO IS
WHO
Administrative director:
D. Fco. Javier Aizpún
Creative director:
Antonio Vaíllo - VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS & NICLOW
Architecture and museography:
VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS
Museographic script:
Antonio Vaíllo y Carlos Bernar
Audiovisual production:
Carlos Bernar-NICLOW
Content:
Javier Fortún, Mercedes Unzu, Javier Martinez de Aguirre,
Ricardo Fernandez Gracia, Mercedes Galán, Raúl del Toro
Implementation:
VAILLO+IRIGARAY ARCHITECTS & NICLOW
www.vailloirigaray.com
www.expo-occidens.com