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RUTA
DE
LA
AMSSTAD
The Route of Friendship
The cultural program of the Organizing Committee of the XIXth Olympic Games included an Internationa! Meeting of Sculptors which was fundamentally different from all other ‘symposia’ or meetings held elsewhere up to this time.
The organizers, inspired by the ideal of world harmony, proposed to bring together a distinguished selection of sculptors from every continent. Never before had such a broad gathering been attempted.
An essential and novel aspect consisted in the artistic emphasis which was placed on this event. From the start it was decided that close collaboration between artists, planners, architects and engineers should be a main objective. Eighteen sculptors from fifteen countries were invited to submit models. Each sent a model of monumental sculpture executed in iron, aluminum, silver, plaster, wood, terracotta or cardboard. These models were then studied by a board of Mexican co-ordinators and professional men headed by Architect Pedro Ramirez Vazquez, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the XIXth Olympic Games, and by sculptor Mathias Goeritz, artistic advisor of the Organizing Committee, as well as creator of the project ‘The Route of
Angela Gurrfa - Mexico
Friendship .
18 m high
One of the conditions imposed upon the sculptors was that they design their work for execution in concrete. This restriction in the selection of the material naturally influenced the artists’ choice so that only those who had experience in working with concrete, or whose general style of work lent itself to this particular medium participated. The final selection of the sculptors was made by two panels of judges composed of architects, critics and representatives of the Organizing Committee. The monumental size was necessary due to the original idea of creating a Route approximately 11 miles long on the southern part of the Peripheral Route encircling Mexico City on a broad and open landscape having as its central point the Olympic Village.
there is an urgent need for artistic design focused on contemporary town and thoroughfare planning.
‘The artist, instead of being invited to collaborate with urban planners, architects and engineers, stands apart and produces only for the minority that visits art galleries and museums.
‘An art integrated from the very inception of the urban plan is of fundamental importance in our age. This means that artistic work will leave its surroundings of art for art’s sake and establish contact with the masses by means of total planning, in order to raise these elements to the level of a spiritually necessary expression of contemporary society.’
On this section of the above-mentioned route which is an expressway and goes by the ‘Pedregal’ (a zone of volcanic lava rock where there are few buildings) the monuments were constructed approximately 1 mile apart. Only in the more interesting sections such as the Olympic Village will the sculptures be closer together. The works range from 20 to 60 feet in height with an average of 35 feet.
The foreign sculptors arrived in Mexico about June 1, 1968. The bases and some of the main elements of their constructions were already finished when they arrived. The calculations for these works and the technical designs were made in advance.
During the International Meeting of Sculptors, there were sessions in which various pending subjects were discussed regarding the final aspect of the Route, such as the finish of the sculptures, colour, landscaping, lighting, etc. Also, Mathias Goeritz presented a proposal at the opening session concerning the establishment of an International Council for artistic planning.
Among other things he said: ‘Modern man’s environment is becoming increasingly chaotic. The growth of population, the socialization of life and the advance of technology have created an atmosphere of confusion. The ugliness of many indispensable elements and of advertising . in general disfigures urban communities, particularly in the suburbs and on the highways; the latter, in this century of accelerated tempo and the automobile, have acquired an unprecedented significance. As a consequence,
List of Sculptors participating in the Route of Friendship in the order of their location on the Route: 1. Angela Gurria Mexico 2. Willi Gutmann Switzerland 3. Milos Chlupac Czechoslovakia 4. Kioshi Takahashi Japan 5. Pierre Székely Hungary/France 6. Gonzalo Fonseca Uruguay 7. Costantino Nivola Italy 8. Jacques Moeschal Belgium 9. Todd Williams USA 10. Grzegorz Kowalski Poland 11. Clement Meadmore Australia 12. Herbert Bayer Austria/USA 13. Joop J. Beljon Holland 14. Itzhak Danziger Israel 15. Olivier Séguin France 16. Mohamed Melehi Morocco 17. Helen Escobedo Mexico 18. Jorge Dubon Mexico Apart from the programme of the Route of Friendship, three other sculptures of monumental size were placed in other sites in Mexico City:
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A steel construction ‘The Red Sun’ (80 feet high) by Alexander Calder, guest of honor of the Organizing Committee, has been placed in front of the Azteca Stadium.
A bronze sculpture (23 feet high) by German Cueto (Mexico), guest of honor of the Organizing Committee, was placed near the Olympic Stadium of University City.
A group of columns ‘The Big Dipper’ (50 feet high) by Mathias Goeritz, made of reinforced concrete and painted was created for the Sports Palace entrance.
Willi Gutmann - Switzerland
Milos Chlupac - Czechoslovakia
Station 2 7.50 m high
Station 3 12 m high
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Pierre Székely - Hungary /France Station 5 12 m high
Kioshi Takahashi - Japan Station 4 7.50 m high
Gonzalo Fonseca - Uruguay Station 6 11.50 m high
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Costantino Nivola - Italia
Jacques Moeschal - Belgium
Station 7 12 m high
Station 8 20.50 m high
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Todd Williams - USA Station 9 6 m high
Clement Meadmore - Australia Station 11 5.70 m high
Grzegorz Kowalski - Poland Station 10 4.20 m high
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Joop J. Beljon - Holland
Itzhak Danziger - Israel
Station 13 7.80 m high
Station 14 7.50 m high
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Olivier Séguin - France
Mohamed Melehi - Morocco
Station 15 7.50 m high
Station 16 12 m high
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Helen Escobedo - Mexico
Jorge Dubon - Mexico
Station 17 16 m high
Station 18 10 m high
Photos Garay
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