Learning as a life force
I recently watched a documentary that linked together learning and architecture in an inspiring way, through the eyes of architect I.M Pei: Learning From Light: The Vision of I.M. Pei. He is the architect of the (in)famous glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris. (You can learn more about I.M Pei’s work here.)
Learning for me is an absolutely vital force, so it touched a spark in me to hear him talk about his work as a learning process. He talks about deliberately choosing to work on buildings in different places around the world, because of the chance it offers to learn about other cultures. He speaks with great enthusiasm about the place of each building. Architecture, he says, is about form, space, light and movement – and most important, place.
The documentary focuses on the design and construction of his last big project – the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar. What makes this even more remarkable is that he was 92 years old at the time!
I found my myself smiling at Pei’s enthusiasm and his joy in his work. You see a true visionary and artist at work in his fierce commitment to his vision – leaving contractors to figure out how to do things never done before as they make his vision for the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar come to life.
The documentary itself is absolutely worth watching if architecture interests you and you have the time (just short of an hour). And if not, then at least watch the first five to six minutes to get inspired by what learning and life at 92 can look like!