
For Oriol Ribas i Escolà, of the VFR consortium, ITER is a ''unique masterpiece of artistic construction.'' Progressively, as he monitored the progress of construction, he began to see works of art around every corner ...
Oriol Ribas i Escolà is the ITER Project Director at Ferrovial, one the three companies (with Vinci and Razel-Bec) that form the VFR consortium responsible for the

This is one of the most striking illustrations of construction imitating art: dark openings framed in yellow-painted steel, the very shapes and colours of Malevich's ''Suprematist Composition: Airplane Flying'' (1915).
At ITER, Oriol could in some cases instantly draw parallels between the shapes, colours and volumes that caught his eye and an artist or artistic movement. "But at times, it was just something I felt, like a reminiscence that I could not put my finger on."

In the intricate geometry of steel reinforcement (here during the construction of the bioshield), Oriol sees something reminiscent of Andy Goldsworthy's work. (Here, the ''Screen,'' 1998.)
Beyond this exploration however, Oriol pursues a broader objective. "The world of modern and contemporary art is very difficult to penetrate. Most people see it as something quite elitist and snobbish, and do not understand why some of the works they see as absurd and meaningless are celebrated and sold for a fortune. My intention in my humble essay is to make apparent to them the connection between construction and art and contribute, however slightly, to offering a new perception. Also, as the book was originally intended for those who contributed to construction, I wanted them to feel pride for what they achieved."