Internationally renowned architect Daniel Libeskind has unveiled in a recent interview with Xinhua his understanding of "inspiration" behind good architecture that contributes to making the world better.
China is a valuable source of inspiration for Libeskind, who has designed the pavilion of Chinese real estate developer Vanke at the upcoming world exhibition in Italy's Milan.
The Vanke Pavilion adds to several famous works in the world designed by Libeskind such as the Imperial World Museum of Manchester, the Jewish Museum Berlin expansion, the Military History Museum in Dresda and the Jewish Museum in Copenhagen.
"You have to drive your inspiration from life because that's a unique moment, it doesn't repeat itself...it is a very ancient inspiration connected to inspiration of tens of thousands of years ago, the wonder that the sky is blue, the wonder that things are growing, the wonder that human beings are so small and have the power to do amazing things but also to destroy," Libeskind said.
The Vanke Pavilion, he explained, is a complex idea inspired by ancient Chinese thinking and combining different elements from the Chinese philosophy and landscape to Vanke's mission and the theme of "Shitang," the Chinese social dining hall.
Libeskind said the pavilion, built with sustainable materials, is a celebration of Vanke and of China.
"I think it would make an interesting journey not only through the expo but through the thoughts that underpin Vanke, Chinese history, Shitang and of course the theme of the expo which is about resources of the future," said the architect, who has studied Chinese culture for years.
In fact, history is a key factor in Libeskind's creations. "History is complex, it's happening right now, so it's very urgent to address things that have been so fundamental in transforming how we think about the world, because they can inform us, drive us and prevent the catastrophes that have happened, particularly in the XX century, from happening again," he said.
The architect, who is among the so-called "ambassadors" of Expo Milano 2015 running from May 1 to Oct. 31, said "solidarity" is the message he wants to deliver through his creations.
"People should appreciate differences, that we are living on this small planet and we have to take care not just of our time but of the future generations," he said.
He underlined that people are the same all over the world and have the same aspirations. "I want to promote as an ambassador of Expo the good things that can happen, not to emigrate to other planets, not to go to Mars and deliver answers, but to rediscover the Earth," he said.
Libeskind, 69, was born to Holocaust survivors in the central Polish city of Lodz and became a U.S. citizen in 1965.
