Casa Batlló was a private residence in the heart of Barcelona and the owners at the turn of last century were clearly not faint-hearted because they commissioned Antoni Gaudi to do a full makeover on their residence. Six stories of Gaudi creativity and flamboyance executed on an existing city terrace house in the early 1900s. It is spectacular, in a domestic residential sort of way.
Again, the joy for me was in the light. I have always thought it would be really interesting to have a house with irregular windows breaking free from the square, the rectangle or the circular. Gaudi certainly managed it and the windows even opened. They are nothing short of sensational and, to my mind, the best feature of this extraordinary residence.
Gaudi really didn’t like straight lines and flat surfaces. The ceilings and walls often deviated from the norm and this is very much part of his signature style.
But let us head out onto the roof terrace, along with the other sightseeing hordes. The Spanish do a good line in roof terraces but only Gaudi added the mosaic froufrou that defines this one. Looking down gave me vertigo but I can see how one could sit up there and feel on top of the world, were it private again.
In its current state, the terrace is housing a café, festooned with lights and wiring and… wait for it… the Sky Garden. We were gold ticket holders so we alone were permitted to ‘Discover a new perspective of the rooftop’. This has absolutely nothing to do with Gaudi that I could discern but there was a thrill of anticipation as we showed our gold ticket entry and donned the mandatory white hard hats before climbing about three steps onto some scaffolded construction.
A FAKE FLOWER ARBOUR – no, I am not joking. That is synthetic grass, too. It was so bad it was actually funny. What you see in the photos is it but looking better in a photo than in reality. You step up to enter one side, walk through and step down at the other end, handing back your monogrammed hard hat. What were they thinking when this project was conceived?
There are unexpected modern introductions to the world of entertainment at Casa Batlló and I guess this is the reality of keeping a modern tourist operation viable. The house is still in private ownership but with the Bernat family these days, not the Batllós. They carried out major restoration and set the place up to cope with one million visitors a year. For me, the restoration of the house alone was fascinating and a complete experience in its own right. It seems that is no longer enough for many others who expect more whistles and bells because the novel and unexpected whimsy of Gaudi is not sufficient.
The sound and light experience at the point just before exit was unexpected and pretty intense. It is billed as ‘The first real 360º experience in the world. The new media artist Refik Anadol presents his pioneering work “In the Mind of Gaudí”.’ We are talking about suddenly being enclosed in a room without warning and immersed in a three minute surround sound and flashing light experience that was akin to a drug-induced trip. Personally, I doubt that Gaudi lived his life in the permanent state of hyped-up hallucination but there we are. It was at least beautifully put together and executed, unlike the modest rooftop flower garden of fake flowers.
I see one aspect of the modern Batlló experience entirely bypassed me and that is the capacity to illuminate the front façade at night in ever-changing colours and effects. I like a good lighting display but I rather feel that one might want black-out curtains were one a resident in the many neighbouring apartments. I am sure it was much quieter when the original family were still in residence.
Next week – back to gardening and gardens of the French Riviera.
Tikorangi The Jury Garden 