Lau, C. 2025. The original reconstructed 1986 Barcelona Pavilion and the reproduction of authentic user experiences. Interiors. 15 (2-3), pp. 220-242. https://doi.org/10.1080/20419112.2026.2631813
| Title | The original reconstructed 1986 Barcelona Pavilion and the reproduction of authentic user experiences |
|---|---|
| Type | Journal article |
| Authors | Lau, C. |
| Abstract | The chronicles of the Barcelona Pavilion begin with the premise that there are three Pavilions to date. The 1929/30 building by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the one publicized through his manipulated photographs, and the 1986 replica based off archival material. Evidently, each Pavilion privileged different objectives with different consequences. However, the reconstruction enabled occupancy and crucially established that there is a fourth Pavilion. Hence, Mies’ didactic narrative disseminated through limited and limiting photographs inevitably succumbs to a proliferation of original images and authentic experiences. Walter Benjamin’s discourse on “aura,” montage and dialectics are analyzed alongside the fourth Pavilion. These individual experiences are unique to and intertwined with dialectical user-led participatory processes of reproduction in different media and modes that enhance and create “aura.” These simultaneously confront, place and integrate material and chronological shifts to initiate visual and experiential interpretations of the past, present and future readings of all the Pavilions through different creative asynchronous processes. Hence authenticity is not exclusive to any one version and ephemeral polyvalent eidetic experiences are foregrounded. These are furthered as creative processes that emphasize the integrated fluidity of the exterior and interior boundaries through enhancing transitory, experiential and participatory qualities. The nonhierarchical approach celebrates the gaps and meanings shift as contingent on the work being completed by the embodied occupant. History is shaped by the vantage point of the present and expressed through the construction of tangible and intangible active sources with the critical intent to reflect creative approaches concerning occupation and use. |
| Journal | Interiors |
| Journal citation | 15 (2-3), pp. 220-242 |
| ISSN | 2041-9112 |
| 2041-9120 | |
| Year | 2025 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis |
| Publisher's version | License CC BY 4.0 File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1080/20419112.2026.2631813 |
| Publication dates | |
| Published online | 07 Apr 2026 |
| Published in print | 2025 |