Módulo, Brasília and Manchete: A view on the New Capital (1957-1960).
Brasília; Magazine Brasília; Magazine Módulo; Magazine Manchete; Modern Architecture; Preservation.
The research reclaims and studies the diffusion of the construction of Brasília, between 1957 and 1960, based on a detailed analysis of the material published in three newspapers of the time: The magazine Brasília, the official means of communication of the Federal Government in the Capital; the magazine Módulo, an informative instrument specializing in art, architecture and cultural heritage; and Manchete magazine, a resource for popular dissemination of varieties. It attempts to analyze how each vehicle perceived and “sold” Brasília to its readers, contributing to formulating a social imaginary portrayal of the city in progress. In other words, the dissertation is based on the hypothesis that, since the beginning of the construction of the Capital, there have always been publications that helped to construct, in the minds of the entire population, an idealized image and history of the city (perfect capital, city of the future and dream desired by Juscelino Kubitschek). To do the analysis of the articles found, a systematic collection of information about Brasília was produced, separating these materials into five thematic groups. The first is the covers where we analyzed the content, message, characteristics, and influences. The second is what deals with the city itself, that is, urban reports about the capital. The third is the one that explores architecture, identifying which were the main buildings reported, their location, and their authors. The fourth is arts in general when the artists and works of art directly linked to the construction of the Capital will be considered and identified. The last one is the dissemination, in the actual meaning of the word, with relevant advertising pieces, materials, and objects linked to pioneering brands and national and international exhibitions that were related to Brasília. The geographic space of research treated in the magazines of interest is that of Brasília, understood as the Distrito Federal, and the time frame consider the year 1957, the year of the announcement of the winner of the Plano Piloto competition, until 1960, the inauguration of the Capital. Finally, the research, in addition to pointing out the importance of journals as sources for the construction of history, raises the set of themes prioritized and then widely publicized.