Opening My Eyes in Avilés, Spain

Making the Earth Turn: The Oscar Niemeyer Cultural Centre

The Oscar Niemeyer Cultural Centre in Avilés

Standing beneath the swirls of the Oscar Niemeyer Centre in Avilés, the world seems to fall away. The earth, that only moments ago felt sturdy and reliable, now spins with a heaviness that threatens to topple my balance. Harsh white lines cut an outline against the sky: showing me the disc that teeters above the staircase like an Alice in Wonderland fantasy.

It’s an optical illusion, of course. The building isn’t moving and neither am I. I’m simply standing on the vast forecourt of what’s become known as El Niemeyer in this former industrial town. It’s a complex of buildings, some finished, some not, designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and commissioned by the Prince of Asturias. Together, they aimed to regenerate the area by providing a space where the arts could flourish.

Regeneration

Smoke still chugs from the chimneys across the harbour but within the complex itself, the plan seems to be working. Children chase each other around, teens chatter in groups and elderly couples concentrate on taking photos.

Of course it’s not just elderly couples. It’s middle-aged folk and youngsters (ahem) such as myself, pacing around, camera in hand.

Looking at us all, snapping away, I wonder what it is about beauty that makes us want to capture it. And why is it that Niemeyer’s spirals seduce us, while the factory smoke repels?

What is it about beauty that makes us want to capture it?

Carlos Saura tries to help us find the answer through his exhibition Luz, the Spanish word for light. He immerses us in total darkness before exploring both the anatomy and the emotion expressed by the human eye.

Portraits of people around the world introduce eyes as “the windows to the soul” before Saura deconstructs the romance by reminding us of what is really going on: a globe sits inside a socket, connected by a nerve, moved around by some creepy looking muscles.

What follows is a series of optical illusions, from shadow puppets to the evolution of photography itself. Plus a chance to join in, social media style, by adding an image of yourself to the collection.

As I leave, with optical illusions fresh on the brain, I walk one more time beneath the disc.

It still seems to spin, but this time I realise my mistake. The “illusion” is correct, the rational reminder wrong. Neither I nor the building nor the earth are standing still. We’re all spinning through space at x miles per hour – it’s just that our eyes can’t see that.

I take another photograph and think about it all again.

It’s dizzying.

Disclosure: I was invited to visit the Oscar Niemeyer Centre in Avilés as a guest of the Asturian Tourist Board. As ever, these words, opinions, thoughts and ramblings are all mine.