Unfinished Spaces

21.11.2012

Today I went to see the movie called "Unfinished Spaces" which was about the creation of National Arts School in Cuba soon after the Revolution had taken place (1961). The reason I went to see it was because I am very interested in Cuban Revolution, especially in its romantic hero Che, and also because I have been there and I got a feeling what this country's spirit was like. The film tells the story of how the idea for this school came about- Fidel and Che were "casually" playing golf in some elite club with huge territory and thought how amazing it would be to create the best school of modern art in the world right in Havana; how best architects were hired and what each of them contributed, how it was almost completed, when suddenly the political course "slightly" changed (due to the fact that Cubans were getting closer and closer to the Soviets who had totally different view of construction, ie prefabrication) and, unfortunately, not in favour of the project. Democracy sounded very nice in words but when it came to the real life "it was not considered right that freedom was practised in the school" and so the project stopped. The architects faced the choice- either comply with the rules and give up the creativity or leave the country. Many of them left and one of them even came to give a talk after the film. What he made me realise is that Revolution did stir people's enthusiasm and filled them with passion in the start but as time passed and people met the reality it opened their eyes - "freedom later became rule". As for the school, there were several attempts to restore it but it still remains pretty much in ruins.