Het onzichtbare zichtbaar maken

In het heden is NU de ander kwetsbaar en fragiel. Samenkomen is heden tien dagen vergeten. Het belang van ontmoeting, het missen van creativiteit en het leren van elkaar. Het is een zoektocht naar het terug verbinden met de ander. Met een ruimte die van de oudheid al bestaat, die anders is, een heterotopie van zijn tijd. Een terugblik naar de oudheid. Zonder de aanwezigheid van een patio zou er geen bestaan ​​​​van een villa kunnen zijn, daarom was het meteen een gedeelde plek. In een patio waar de ander samenkwam, werd gezien als een ontmoetingsplek. De publieke ruimte bestaat niet meer. Het streven om de publieke ruimte te vormen, die vertrekt vanuit de innerlijke ruimte van de ander.Een poëtische marge waar de ziel van de andere zal raken.

De patio geeft een thuisgevoel, waarin architectuur vertrouwd zal worden. Het doel is om van de patio een zichtbare publieke plek te maken die gedeeld wordt met de ander. De herinnering van de ander is essentieel, maar deze wordt vandaag de dag vergeten.
Een metafoor van een patio. Een ruimte die gedeeld werd met de buitenwereld, waarbij het interieur openstaat en samen in verbinding is met de buitenwereld. Het begint vanuit een omsloten patio waardoor de wand zich ontwikkelt door de naar binnen kleinere kleinere patio. Deze trekt de kenmerkende eigenschappen van de buitenwereld naar binnen. Door de omkering van een ruimte in een ruimte ontstaat er een patio in een patio. Deze omkeerbaarheid vormt een drempelloze toegankelijkheid naar de innerlijke ruimte.
Zo wordt de onzichtbare wereld zichtbaar voor de buitenwereld, en wordt de onzichtbare onzichtbaar.

Es un patio con un árbol de mangos como corazón, orquídeas consentidas y demás plantas que traen vida y recuerdos a la casa. En el patio de yaya nos bañamos con agua de la manguera en días calurosos. En el patio de yaya recogiamos mangos cada vez que llegaba la temporada. En el patio de yaya celebramos nuestros cumpleaños, colgamos luces en los arboles para navidad, asi como tambien llegue a sembrar plantas. Durante los inicios de covid-19, pasé todas las tardes en el patio de yaya para estar fuera de las 4 paredes. Entre estas se mantienen las memorias en el patio de yaya. A este lugar siempre le llamamos casa de yaya, patio de yaya, y asi siempre será.

He recorrido muchas ciudades, he visto muchos atardeceres. Pero jamás he visto uno tan bonito como los que veo en mi lugar seguro, mi hogar. Todas las tardes solía salir al patio para poder admirar semejante obra de arte, son unos colores que me dejan sin palabras y con una sensación y sentimiento que no he vuelto a sentir en ningún lugar por más bonito que sea. Es por eso que cuando pienso en tranquilidad y paz, pienso en los atardeceres de mi lugar seguro.

Platicas profundas y platicas sin sentido, personas con las que comparto una gran cantidad de emociones y que forman parte de mis memorias. Es un lugar que termina siendo el destino sin ser pensado, nos da un espacio en el cual se permite conectar. 

Esta es la plaza central de mi ciudad. Un lugar en el que tengo recuerdos desde siempre; mi bisabuela, abuela y madre me llevaban a este parque desde que yo era un bebé para que pudiese jugar, ver y escuchar la música de la banda del pueblo, entre otras cosas. Además, a una cuadra de la plaza está la casa de mi bisabuela donde creció mi abuela, madre e incluso yo porque mi madre ha tenido en esa casa una cafetería durante toda mi infancia y adolescencia. Por ello, he crecido escuchando historias de mi familia acerca de como mi abuela caminaba a través de esta plaza cuando todavía estaba en construcción para ir a la escuela, cuando mi madre jugaba de pequeña en esta plaza en carritos artesanales de madera con sus amigos del barrio, compraban dulces y un sinfín de experiencias más. Por estas razones siempre he estado ligado inconscientemente a este parque. Al llegar la adolescencia empecé a dejar de ir al sitio por toda la torpeza que incluye esta edad en la que solo interesa la cerveza y las fiestas, sin embargo, al pasar el tiempo empecé a asistir nuevamente a este sitio, esta vez ya consiente de que el sitio me pertenece, y que es una consecuencia inevitable como también hermosa continuar con el legado generacional de asistir a un sitio con tanto valor intrínseco. Empecé a asistir casi a diario a este lugar, a veces acompañado de un amigo, familiar, o novia, y otras veces solo. Incluso comencé a encariñarme con una banca en específico donde me sentía más cómodo con que usualmente hacía en este lugar ya sea leer, observar gente pasar o simplemente admirar los monumentos y catedral que se establece imponente frente a la plaza. Ahora, sin duda alguna “El Parque Calderón” es parte de mí, y todas las anécdotas que he vivido en este lugar se las contaré a mis hijos.

A lo largo de los años, generamos vínculos sentimentales con lugares y cosas. Aunque no representen permanencia, como seres humanos solemos asociar memorias con lugares, por que es en donde nuestros sentimientos se tornan tangibles.  Considere este parque como ´´lugar´´ por que es lo que me viene a la memoria cuando pienso en infancia, infancia para mi representa, aprendizaje, crecimiento, niñez, y, sobre todo, diversión. Con el paso del tiempo olvidamos lo importante que esta última, lo importante que es reír, disfrutar, compartir. Que, a final de cuentas, es lo que nos hace sentir vivos, que estamos aquí. En ese lugar tengo recuerdos en los que solía compartir mi tiempo con los vecinos, por que representaba para nosotros un punto de encuentro, de convivencia, de compartir e interactuar unos con los otros.

El malecón del Río en Barranquilla fue construido para que la ciudad y las personas regresaran al río. Barranquilla fue una ciudad construida al lado del río, en la costa de Colombia. Sin embargo, a diferencia de muchas ciudades costeras, Barranquilla creció dándole la espalda al río y colocando la zona industrial a su lado. La iniciativa de regresar al río empezó en el 2017 con la inaguración de un gran malecón junto al río, que buscaba reunir al pueblo barranquillero y brindarles un espacio para convivir, lleno de folclor y cultura. El malecón cuenta con canchas deportivas, miradores, puestos de comida típica, un área para conciertos y un gran restaurante de comida típica en forma de Caimán (El Caimán del Río) en honor a uno de los animales del folclor de la ciudad. Durante la pandemia, el malecón se convirtió en el mejor lugar para reunirse ya que brindaba un espacio al aire libre donde las personas podían reunirse y disfrutar del río y de las diferentes actividades y espacios libres que éste brinda. En los momentos de oscuridad e incertidumbre, el malecón brindó a los barranquilleros un respiro de aire fresco, ya que la ciudad cuenta con pocos parques y lugares de reunión. Para mí el malecón significa un lugar donde tanto turistas como ciudadanos pueden compartir de las costumbres de la ciudad, genera un vínculo con las personas que lo visitan y definitivamente ayuda a que la ciudad regrese al río en lugar de darle la espalda. 

Morelia, es una ciudad muy pequeña del Estado de Michoacan, Mexico, al tener una limitada extensión territorial, el centro de Morelia es el principal Nicho y punto de reunión de las familias que viven en esta ciudad. Es común ver cómo las familias los fines de semana disfrutan de este espacio realizando diferentes actividades recreativas y culturales, por lo que a mí el ir a este espacio me recuerda todas esas experiencias realizadas con mi familia y amigos .

Cada mañana mi hermano me acompañaba caminando al colegio primario a las 6.45am y pasaríamos caminando por Barrancas de Belgrano cantando sus canciones de rap favoritas del momento. Por el mediodía, pasaría a buscarme por el colegio y antes de llegar a barrancas, frenaríamos en un kiosco a comprar dos obleas bonobon q disfrutábamos comiendo sentados en el parque por 5min, luego volveríamos a casa contentos listos para el almuerzo. Con el pasar del tiempo ya en el secundario, comencé a darle otra utilidad a la plaza, esta vez para ir a tomar mates por la tarde con mis amigas, o para previar por la noche los fines de semana. Hoy en día vivo a media hora de aquella plaza, pero siempre que paso en auto para ir a la Universidad, recuerdo todas aquellas memories.

Es un especie de canal en una colonia que se utiliza para la tempora de lluvias, esta cubierto por pasto, y se asemeja a un parque lineal aunque n o está pensado para serlo, en ese espacio suelo correr y jugar con mis mascotas arriba y abajo, jugar con la pelota el disco.

Un lugar en el que he crecido. Pasear, conversar, desconexión con la realidad, disfrutar el sol, la vista y a mi familia. 

La Ciudad de México puede llegar a ser caótica en varios sentidos, específicamente en temas de mobilidad y tráfico. Esto por la alta circulación de los automóbiles y la baja planificación de la Ciudad para los peatones y bicicletas. 

En la carretera México-Toluca, existe un pequeño letrero "El Ocotal" y con una tenue vuelta hacia la derecha, entras a un pulmón de la Ciudad. Aquí los árboles llegan a grandes alturas y el ruido de la carretera va desvaneciendo hasta convertirse en un leve sonido de fondo.

Considero al Ocotal un lugar y no un espacio, ya que se puede convivir con las personas, hacer ejercicio, meditar, bajar la velocidad de movilidad de 80km/h a 5km/h. Lo que te obliga a apreciar la naturaleza y respirar aire fresco aunque sea una hora del día.   

En México cada semana jugaba hockey sobre hielo, en la preparatoria entrenaba mucho pero con el timepo se ha convertido en un hobby que disfruto mucho.

No es ni un campo, ni un parque. No esta vacio, ni ocupado. No es de nadie, pero es de todos. Es un terreno que poco a poco fue tomando forma, y que con el tiempo invitó a que se use. Inicialmente este espacio no tenia un uso destinado, por lo que pasaba vacio. Sin embargo, las situaciones y el tiempo llevaron a que las personas que antes lo recorrian por los lados, empezaran a recorrer sus tierras. Hoy en dia, este es el lugar de reencuentro entre familias y amigos, es donde se hacen los jueves de ron y parillas domingueras. Es el lugar que se convierte en canchas provicionales para jugar algun deporte, y campos libres para disfrutar de noches estrelladas. Este es el lugar que nos conecta a todos los que habitamos en esta urbanización a través de la participación de un huerto comunal. Es el lugar más bonito que hay.  

En México cada semana jugaba hockey sobre hielo, en la preparatoria entrenaba mucho pero con el timepo se ha convertido en un hobby que disfruto mucho.

Parque de arboles de olivo en la ciudad: recolectar olivas en temporada y luego comerlas, de pequeña subir a la copa de los arboles, pasear con amigos o familia, alimentar a las palomas en la laguna,etc.

Watching each day the new and old tenants of a bug hotel in Mom's house. 

It's my home, it's my kitchen, no light.

The Mediterranean splendor enters anyway and however.

This is a piece I did with the intentions of selling it. But I loved it so much so I kept it. It sits on the back of the chair I sit when I read or I watch movies. 

A NEW SUBLIME (UN NUEVO SUBLIME)

Algunas definiciones de sublime a modo introductorio:

Es la emoción estética que produce lo bello cuando va acompañado de grandiosidad o elevación inabarcables para el entendimiento.

Que tiene una gran belleza o calidad.

Sublime es un adjetivo que proviene de término sublimar. En el área de la física, sublimar es el paso directo que lleva a la materia del estado sólido al estado gaseoso, sin pasar por el estado líquido.

De allí que se use el adjetivo sublime en un sentido figurado en personas y obras que destacan del conjunto en términos de excelencia, superioridad, belleza y perfección.

Así, sublime se puede usar para exaltar el valor de una poesía sublime, una pintura sublime, un arte sublime. En este sentido, funcionan como sinónimos los adjetivos extraordinario, glorioso, grande, eminente, elevado, ideal, fantástico.

Según la filosofía, sublime es aquello que daña o destruye al observador, causando un fuerte dolor, por ser imposible de asimilar el objeto que se percibe. El término sublime es una belleza extrema, que vas más allá de la racionalidad del espectador.

En este sentido, para el filósofo Immanuel Kant, lo sublime es aquello que es absolutamente grande, causando incomodidad al espectador por superar las capacidades del mismo.

En relación a la estética, rama de la filosofía que se aboca al estudio de la belleza, sublime es aquello que trasciende de lo bello y humano, es admirable, espléndido, considerado divino, que exalta el corazón y la mente.

Descripción de la experiencia:

Es 3 de marzo de 2022. Estoy en medio de la reforma de la casa-academia de Balaguer. Mi hogar. Mi laboratorio.
Ante la angustia que me ha producido la guerra de Ucrania, me propongo a demoler un area de la casa que, sabiendo que no era urgente de hacer, me dará un alivio estético y de paso me hará reflexionar sobre la guerra, la destrucción, el dolor y sus implicaciones en territorios que se suponen en paz. Nada puede suponer el máximo imperio de la paz que mi propia casa.

Sin embargo los tiempos son turbulentos, con una pandemia que parece terminar pero solo es una ilusión. En ese contexto me cambio de continente, de país y de ciudad y busco una nueva forma de exploración personal. 
Estalla una guerra sin sentido, transmitida y re transmitida por las imágenes del big data que lo ve todo, que lo sabe todo, lo domina todo.

Me propongo lo imposible: demoler toda una área de la vivienda eliminando la sucesión de fondas existentes que no me permiten ver el espacio en su real dimensión. Lo hago junto a mi hijo que me ayuda preguntándome todo el tiempo "por qué?" Y en un plazo de tres horas solo quedan escombros y runa por doquier.

Ahí es cuando al mirar esos tochos destruidos que tenían que ser ensacados, reflexiono sobre lo rápido y fácil que es destruir y lo difícil que es construir. Que puedo construir con esos restos? 
Construyó las bases de una idea: con los restos ordenados, como quien arma un rompecabezas, voy estructurando un zócalo de piezas y partes. Y me doy cuenta que por más que lo material se pueda destruir también esa misma materia cambia y construye algo nuevo. Esos restos me recordaron a los caídos, la atmósfera azulosa y ambar del recinto al atardecer me hace pensar en los símbolos que están por todas partes. Ese día me di cuenta que la casa-academia es un sitio de exploración, un laboratorio. Y que en ese instante de caos y orden de tres horas estaba fundando las sólidas bases de la residencia artística en la casa-academia. Fue un acto fundacional, urgente, para tratar de entender el horror.

Cómo se sabe: solo la belleza nos puede salvar del horror.

No como una belleza nueva.

Más precisamente, cómo Un Nuevo Sublime.

Iñaki Volante 

Balaguer, Mayo 2022. 

Winner of the third prize of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your experiences of domestic places" 2022

All my memories, all the souveniers of my roots, places I have visited, friends gifts stay together in this shrine that makes me fell I'm closer to the people and places I love 

Winner of the fourth prize of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your experiences of domestic places" 2022

Escuchado en Plaza Victoria, Valparaíso, 5.53 de la tarde.

-Yo estoy niahí con separarme de tí Luis, yo te amo. Te amo y quiero que tengamo una familia. Aparte ya nació la niña ya

Pero y si las cosas no funcionan, tenemos dos colchones si. 

Mi mamá te mandó unas cosas ahí

-Tu estando hospitalizada hice lo mejor que pude. Di lo mejor de mí. Quedaba solo en la casa un día y puta me volé, de la pura pena po. 

Decir puta mi amor sabi que, que pasa. Puta sabi no es malo cansarse

Pero no se debe. No se debe. Porque si empezamos a recaer denuevo deci no puedo Jose Luis. 

Vai a comer mas?

Quiero hacer mucho

Quiero hacer muchas cosas pero esas muchas cosas me cuestan.

-Nadie te frena nadie te va a separar. Que seai mamá y vayai a todos lados con ella. Que la tengai en la camita que salgai con la niña.

-Quiero que seamos felices. Pero pa eso tengo que ponerme un parche

-Intentemoslo entonces

-Cuando tengai las ansias dimelo. Si yo te digo eso tambien ayudame

Llevo dos dias mi amor

Ayer estaba pa la caga

Pa la caga mi amor

Fotografía digital toma directa. EDDMC (El Desorden De Mi Cama) 

Eligo la cama porque lo considero un espacio dentro del espacio. Su forma rectangular me remite a perímetro delineado donde circula mi existencia de manera cotidiana y recurrente. La cama como territorio íntimo que da cuenta de una existencia pasajera.  

I have got an antique mirror, a chair and a writing desk from my mother-in-law. In my new house, there are reflections of them that create a corridor of memory. My books, film festival badges, brushes and paints, and an unfinished painting also fall into this corridor. I like a lot the poster featuring the meeting with Artavazd Peleshyan which I stole from the bulletin board... All this was before the 24th of February. Since then I have stopped working as a journalist, I cannot paint and watch movies. Since the war in Ukraine began, I have been looking at the portrait of Sonya, which you can see next to my writing desk, painted by Christian Schad (1928) and I have been thinking about her destiny as a German refugee during WW2. Next to the portrait it is a dried bouquet that was given to me before the war. I do not throw it away in the memory of last February. There is a wooden house on the windowsill our son is playing with. I look at this house and think that many people have lost their homes. I have also lost in the baroque curls of the mirror, in the corridor of memory, and I do not know when I am able to visit my homeland again.

The cabinets of the hallway are filled with old photographs. 

Memories flood you each time you pass.

One morning, I noticed how the sunlight was focused on a particular frame.

The one with me and my sister as kids outside our old home, I'm wearing a pink dress and she is in her jean suit. 

I've never spoken about her with love, words have always been hard to articulate.

The past seems to haunt me often. 

But the sunlight was so sweet that day, her face bright with a smile.
It reminded me of the smiles we used to share instead of tears, the screams of laughter instead of anger. 

I could see her again & I was reminded that the darkness of the past will always haunt you unless you shed light on it.

?

Winner of the fourth prize of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your experiences of domestic places" 2022

Physical experiences shape the way beings perceive the tangible terrene, and their sense of belonging arises from the memories brought along. A single place, in its essence, might be apodictic. But when shaped through an individual's perception, it is incomparably idiosyncratic. In this context, crossing into others' bubbles of reality elevates one's level of consciousness.

Home, stripped from every notion outside of its door when it’s shut, is what each individual finds within, carries along, and cultivates throughout their journey. Therefore, the concept of location is futile. Be that as it may, the impact of the whereabouts of individuals molds their persona irreversibly through acquired memories.

The shelter I currently live under is the one I call second place. As an individual in a state of foreignness for years, I have this second apartment that made me a different person and started a new chapter in my life. It is a new neighborhood, a new phase in my story.

I lived in an apartment for four years in a foreign country, and then I had to change my home and leave behind my first discoveries and initial stories throughout my journey. Then I relocated and realized I relocated my sense of belonging once more, this time by being more settled, experienced, resilient, and mature as I raised myself and thrived within my sense of belonging.

Every day I wake up seeing outside through my balcony door in every form when it is sunny or gloomy. I look at the books that I consider as the objects that provide me the feeling of growing roots inside of me more and more, day by day. Then, I look at the plants that I take care of that evoke as I take care of the roots inside me, every day with new challenges still growing and evolving. That is how I give myself a momentary pause before I get into the unknown challenges daily, and no matter what stage my emotions or concerns are at, to show off my gratitude to myself and my shelter as my second place, my sanctuary.

Llegar. Descalzarse. Poner la pava. Hacer un mate. 

El sol entra por la ventana justo en la esquina contraria, donde está el sofá. Me recuesto en él y miro la nada. Me gusta mirar la nada. La nada es un espacio con cosas, con detalles, miro las hojas del potus, hay una muerta o una nueva. La hiedra (se llama hiedra? me lo pregunto, no lo sé, tampoco googleo la respuesta) se movió, nadie la tocó asique ella solita movió sus hojas para seguir los rayos de luz. Observo el cuadro, los detalles de la ilustración, me pierdo en las finas líneas y colores. Me lo se de memoria, aún así, siempre descubro cosas nuevas. La nada no es la nada, está llena de cosas, pero cada cosa me hace detenerme y observar. Me hace presente en ese momento. Observar me adentra en mí, cada pensamiento hila una situación, una experiencia, a veces personas, a veces aromas. 

La nada es la nada, pero al mismo tiempo, es todo.

I try to do my laundry at the end of every week.

When the morning sun is touching my balcony doors, I feel motivated to do it early in the day, so the clothes and linen can get a good amount of fresh sun rays.

I can see people around putting their fresh laundry in a rooftops of apartment buildings. Probably because the awnings and the greenery on their balconies are shading them too much. Big bed linens are dancing between antennas and sun panels where they are becoming a standard part of window views.  

In our balcony we don’t have an awning because our landlord is too penny-pinching, so my washings always have an opportunity to be touched by the sun, even if I leave them inside. The shadows of clothes can play freely, without interruptions by branches of greenery.

Sometimes I’m too indolent to organize washing schedule with other room-mates and I’m postponing it until I’m out of clothes to wear. In the meantime, my laundry stand is staying open for more days as it is necessary. I like the feeling of having my clothes hanging around, where they are co-living with my other small pieces. Together they are presenting my characteristics in personal, weekly changing pop-up exhibitions.

The process of doing the laundry feels like the process of communicating with neighbours. In the mornings I can hear their washing machine. I’m guessing that they are an older generation because they wake up so early, maybe they are having a siesta in the afternoon. We are talking through smells of our washed clothes being merged into each other.

I’ve done more than 50 laundries in this place, and I have around 5 of them left. The practice of doing the laundry is moving with me and through it, I become a part of a surroundings. It is hard to define my home, but wherever I’m doing my laundry, I feel like I’m able to describe it as my domestic place. 

Winner of the second prize of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your experiences of domestic places" 2022

Ahh! That enticing old book scent, the feel of turning fresh new pages and relishing the printed words... spending time in my cosy reading nook filled with “portable magic” transports me to new lands, takes me on a journey to far away places and mysterious worlds and yet makes me feel like home. I find solace between the pages of the book. It spurs my creativity and imagination. That feeling is so unique.

If you want to live a thousand lives before you die, read books!

‘’She was looking at me almost every single day of the last 1,5 years. Well... She was not really looking at me. I was inside her gaze but she was actually looking at the sky, the sun, the trees, the branches, the pine cones, the houses and the cars passing through. A very little amount of cars passing through. Once I noticed she counted the trees outside. She doubted what she counted. She was not sure if some trees were hiding behind others. 'I don’t believe in numbers' she thought. She counted them again the next day. '16. Weird. They really look less.' 

I was here the whole time, I saw her making coffee, sitting on that couch, eating breakfast, closing her eyes, listening to the birds, reading, watching movies, having sex, laughing, crying, spilling coffee, looking outside, staring at the sky… She almost never looked at me, but I knew that she knew I was here. Me and the ashtray that always sits on me. Of course she knew. She looked at me every day. Well, I was inside her gaze every day. 

One time I heard her crying. I heard her say 'I miss simple things. Simple. Very simple things. The things that we do every day without thinking about them. Going out, meeting friends, sitting on a bench in a sunny day. I feel like I lost myself. I cannot produce. I am not able to do anything. I feel like a failure, I feel like I failed.' At that moment she was looking at me. I heard the man saying 'don’t be unfair to yourself. The whole world has stopped.' As she turned her face from him, I can swear that we came eye to eye. With her red, tearful eyes, she sniffed and she pointed at me saying ‘I feel like that chair’.

Today she took a photo of me. Well… I was inside the gaze of the camera so I think I was inside the frame. Then she counted the cigarettes in the ashtray. 125. She thought 'that’s a lot of numbers for an ashtray’.''

Winner of the fourth prize of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your experiences of domestic places" 2022

I live in a small house with limited rooms, and therefore, I never had the chance to create a personal workspace,  so I  had to divide my bedroom into two small areas: a sculpting corner, and some space  for my bed. The first thing that I see when I wake up is my workspace, and it is also the last thing I see when I go to sleep. Due to the limited space of my bedroom, my artworks became, overtime, one huge pile that limits my movement around my room, yet I still enjoy spending and investing a lot of time doing what I love the most. I have always dreamt of extending our house so I can turn it into an open space for cabinet of curiosity, where everyone can come to see my creations. In Tunisia, the number of galleries is limited, as well as artisric opportunitinies, but more than that, the concept of cabinet of curiosity does not exist! which becomes the reason why I am aiming to create my own public cabinet of curiosity.

My little cousins, in their toddler age, has an immense love for cars and vehicles. One of them has deep love for police cars and he loves to rescue animals who are injured and take them to hospital, the gorilla is the doctor for him. He often asks that he wants to play with his cars on road and bing.... We had a plan. One of the room in their house is made of cement, without any tile furnishing and we have a little library there. So, we made road map for them, and placed some building models like police station, hospital and airport as landmarks and their destination points and set the cars to play on the road with a chowk at the center. It is their play area now and when they first saw it they were out of words and expressing their joy by jumping and rushing in to play. What a joyful sight. As much as i enjoyed their expressions, I enjoyed making this whole space tranform into play area and yes i played with cars as well. Because, why not!

Winner of the first prize of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your experiences of domestic places" 2022

My high school student life was all about studying and focusing on grades and intellectual discussions. In childhood I enjoyed arts and crafts activities, but as we grew it was all left behind. After graduation, when I had time to slow down and look around my room and reflect on how my room didn't reflect my personality, not as a child, not even now. There were many difficult memories as well. So then I chose to make my room look more like me and who I want to be. I didn't care of my age, I just listened to my inner child and expressed her on my walls however it liked. So the butterflies (wild and free) after years of isolation and transformation were ready to fly and inspire. Now, whenever I look at this (once beige and uninspiring wall) fills me with joy and motivation to do something new and amazing. My nieces and nephews whenever visit me, they first come to my room and expresses joy and admiration for this wall. They say in awe, "wow, so many butterflies" and I have noticed them displaying their artwork on wall as well in their house and their parents allow them too because they have seen me do it too. I sit here on this couch (that I consider a floor mat, with a height) and make my to do list and also do my chakra tapping exercises and what not. I enjoy this place in my room, my seclusion zone full of creative freedom and expressin. 

This window on West tells me the weather outside. It protects from direct light and heat as it's covered with greenery outside, but it gives me the message of God through its shine and the intensity about the seasonal changes in my city. When it rains in summers, I sit on the couch and listen to the heavenly sounds and miss the sunshine while enjoying the dark clouds. And when the sun rays peak in during the winters, I thank God for protecting me with His warmth. This is my favorite spot at home, it opens my mind and nourishes my soul, and this is where I sit down to write my heart out usually. 

My home has a sacred ground in my heart. It is a place where I can be my weirdest and the most authentic self. A place that will be right there waiting for me when I come back. A place where the stress of life melts away evoking a sigh of relief within and reminds me of the countless memories and values that shaped me as I walk through. Home means that no matter how challenging life gets, there will be someone looking out for me.

It’s the warm bed that I can’t get out of in the morning, the inviting aroma of tea brewing in the kitchen, the taste of mom’s breakfast while I am still tousle-haired and sleepy and the endless conversations at the dining table. It's the distinctive sound of the gravel as dad rolls down the car into the driveway, the wonderful sight of my grandparents talking their morning stroll, the ever-growing collection of books to be read on that shelf.

There’s no place on earth I’d rather be!

The light coming in through the curtain of my bedroom window wakes me up every morning to say good morning. I drink tea while I open the curtains to start the day.

Good morning Barcelona ...

This place reminds me of childhood. Sometimes I come here just to sit and enjoy the view. I let the warmth wrap me in a hug and comfort me as i dream of the good old days. This is a place where i let myself think of you, father. I think of the joke you told me, the kiss on the forhead you gave me. I know as i sit here, you are sitting next to me. This is the place where i can feel you. I feel you sitting next to me, smilling, enjoying the sun setting in the distance. This is the place where i you can hear me. I will forever be gratefull of the memories we made, for the feelings i feel when i am here. This will forever be my favourite place.

Donde estoy?
Conciencia material, habito este cuerpo.

Boca seca, donde esta el vaso con agua? sabor a una noche pasada, trago con dificultad, boca seca, sed, trago de nuevo y por impulso abro los ojos, observo, respiro. 

Agradezco y me levanto.

“Espejo humeante” 2022 es mi participación en los Altares Espejo de la Ceremonia por la renovación del mundo del pueblo Wixárika, para cuidar y defender la vida en el desierto de Wirikuta, México. La primera imagen es la cima del cerro Quemado con el circulo de piedras donde se realiza la ceremonia. La segunda es la instalación en el basurero de Real de Catorce, un pequeño pueblo hubicado en el estado de San Luis Potosí

La luz que entra por la cortina de la ventana de mi dormitorio me despierta cada mañana para darme los buenos días. Bebo un té mientras abro las cortinas para empezar el día.

Buenos días Barcelona...

Plaza Baquedano was established in 1929 and replaced Plaza Italia which was named after a gift from the Italian Kingdom to Chile to celebrate the 1st centenary of the Republic of Chile. That monument gift is still located in Plaza Baquedano. Plaza Baqeudano is a more fitting name for the public space/monument that is the main place for public celebrations and demonstrations in Santiago, the capital of Chile. It is dedicated to General Manuel Baquedano who lead the Chilean Army to victory against the Peruvian-Bolivian alliance in the late 19C Pacific War. Plaza Baqedano, with the monument to General Baquedano by renowned sculptor Virginio Arias, also contained the unknown soldier’s remains from the Pacific War and the busiest Metro station in the Metropolitan network, Metro Baquedano. The urban insurrection, which began on 18 October 2019 with the arson attack on 20 Metro stations in 6 hours, is unrelenting, violent, and destructive. The decimation of the are within a 1 kilometre radius of Plaza Baquedona is entire. This área is called Ground Zero. The material damage in this área alone is 106 million USD. 80% of businesses are still protected behind welded sheet metal facades. The entrance to Metro Baquedano is permanently welded shut and the concourse is reduced to rubble, smashed up by hand with hammer and crowbar for missiles to throw at pólice. After the attempts to topple the monument to General Baquedano were not successful, the last attempt on International Women’s Day 2021, the National Council of Monuments decided to remove the sculpture to protect it and placed a 3 meter high, welded sheet metal cube around the emptied plinth and the tomb of the unknown soldier that was able to withstand the impact of a vehicle traveling at 80 kilometers/hour. On the second anniversary of 18 October, the usual Friday night riots, arson, and looting that is now called traditional protest destroyed the metal wall. In consultation with the Armed Forces, the National Council of Monuments decided to exhume the remains of the unknown soldier for fear that they would be exhumed by the regular rioters now called political prisoners if they are arrested for such crimes. Supporters of this violence and destruction, including the recently elected President and former Student Protest Leader, not only are calling for an amnesty for all crimes committed since 18 October but want to rename Plaza Baquedano, Plaza de la Dignidad (Plaza of Dignity). This is a fitting name for the materialization of what Marxist Philosopher called the Power of Determinate Negation and which the Cultural Industry applauds as art activism, the art of protest.   

Every day, when I open the window, I see a picture of my hometown in Brazil. 
During the gray winter days in Belgium, I look at this photo and I say to myself "today might be gray, but I carry that sun inside me everywhere."

Winner of the fourth prize of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your experiences of domestic places" 2022

Domestic Gestures is a part of The New Normal series which is a personal documentary project, accumulative, poetical, and a longful one, in a time of physical distancing and social solidarity, police curfews, and restrictions. It exists as a way of making sense of and record the passing of time.
 

On the shelf in the living room of my apartment, above the fireplace, I see the gift of two friends I met during my international master's degree in Gent, Belgium (one from India and the other from Mexico). I don't know when or if I will see them again, but I know it was a connection far beyond beliefs, cultures or habits. It was just a person to person connection and every time I look at these gifts, I think about how I felt when I was with them, the dinners we used to prepare with different dishes that I had never tasted before, and how amazing it was to share and exchange these new experiences with them... 

Aquest lloc és molt transitat per alumnes i pares de família que pertanyen a aquesta comunitat, però pensem que és una cosa avorrida, de manera que voldríem donar-li més vida i poder col·locar alguna cosa que sigui un punt de referència.

Analizing this place we saw the big potential this area has, thanks to the combination of nature and mandmade. Also we notice that there are no activities or attracting alements that potentiates any use in this place. 

The possible intervention and the place generate a new connection between the housing and public space. The place links the coexistence of these spaces with the tranquility of its recesses. The streetlights allow a possible intervention to be extended both horizontally and vertically to generate a point of attraction between the poles. Finally, the place tries to activate and connect but at the same time maintain the essence of tranquility.

Em  triat aquest espai perquè pensem que és un espai desaprofitat i és un bon lloc on parar-se per pensar o asseure's a mirar la ciutat.

The marsh of Monastir (in Tunisia) is a favorable environment for a delegation of migratory birds such as "flamingos", as well as many other types of birds such as ducks and various types of gulls. Despite the construction of the airport and the metro line that crosses the marsh, the birds have remained attached to this ecological station and have not abandoned it. One of the characteristics of this bird is that it forms incubators, as some husbands stay to guard the chicks, while the others start bringing food from nearby slums and distant places to return to their seat to feed their young at sunset. This place is then associated with birth, fertility and life.

Due to the sewage being poured into this lake, the number of birds gradually decreased and the birds' nests became empty.

This problem inspired me to create my project. According to different cultures, the egg is considered a symbol of life, fertility and the victory of the love of life over the darkness of death. According to Finnish legend, the egg is the beginning of the universe or the beginning in which the universe was born.

The legend says that the goddess "Luonnotar" spent her life alone in the vast emptiness of space.  Then she fell from the sky to the earth. Then the seagull came from the distant horizon, and on her lap she built her nest. Then the goddess felt a heat flowing through her body, as if her knee was burning and her veins were melting, the bird laid her eggs on her knee, which trembled, then the eggs rolled on the water and were broken. From the lower part of the eggs was formed the earth, mother of all beings; from their upper part, the sublime sky; from their yellow parts, the radiant sky; from their white part, the bright moon; their speckled debris became stars; their black debris the clouds of the air. "Luonnotar" continued the process of creation, creating the seas, bays and shores, and the depths of the oceans.

From this legend I began my project . I made a sculpture in the shape blue phoenix with two large wings protruding from its head, The phoenix bird symbolizes immortality, resurrection and life after death but this time the bird is weak and his heart is bleeding , I chose the blue to be in harmony with the blue of the sky and the marshes, and to contrast with the color of the ground. Then I distributed a group of gypsum eggs among the marsh grass, indicating that this place is the source of life, fertility and birth so we should protect it and stop polluting it . I colored the eggs blue, referring to male birth, pink to female birth, and purple gradient, which is the mix between pink and blue for other sexual orientations. Then I took photographs of the installation to document it, as the final work will be in the form of photographs, as I have no desire to leave the installation in the marsh or to make the marsh an open exhibition space where I wish to preserve the purity and tranquility of the place and its vitality without leaving a trace, as I am ultimately interested in the images that perpetuate the trace.

The Bondi Icebergs is a much, photographed iconic place. The pool was built in the late 1930’s so local swimmers and life savers could maintain their fitness during the winter months – hence the name. Much has been written about swimming pools being great equalizers in terms of their appeal to all ages, of all shapes and sizes, and social classes, as well as being captivating sites for people watching. For me, The Icebergs is a place of solace, a time for clearing the mind while swimming, a time for quiet and reflection while watching the surf, the changing life on the beach in the distance. It holds a sense of being together while simultaneously being in a bubble of solitude.

It is inspiring to see people, at least in their 70s, still swimming throughout the year, and this display of stoicism and is one of the reasons I chose to move to the area. The Icebergs is deeply embedded within the community, as well as welcoming to those from afar. It’s a social place with its club membership, and races held every Sunday throughout Winter, as well as a bustling community venue. A free walkway affords spectators a closer view, while an entry fee is required for the pool, but still I see it as a public space reflected and used by so many - a locus of community.

The Parklet  in Bologna is a space for people, it is a combination of human-oriented design with nature-based solutions. It is a pleasant and unexpected opporunity to enjoy the street as a real public space, in between a long line of cars. It hosts daily activities of the neighbourhood, for family, kids, elderly, small events and temporary art installations from local residents. Very attractive and with a unique atmosphere.

I have always live near my city´s park. It is a park that unfolds along the riverbank, on a long walk made of pink and grey tiles on the high zone, and sand, brushes and giant trees on the low one.

A park is a peculiar place from which to observe a city. Since I was a little child I watch the passerby from my window and think about it as a kaleidoscope, through which the city reveals itself in its most anomalies shapes and most intensive colors.

In the park the city and its inhabitants dress up (dresses printed with flowers and phosphorescent sport-wear), they play at being what they are not, and at the same time  (thanks to these masks) they undress, they move and allow themselves to breath in a way that they are no allow to do it on the sidewalks and urbanized streets. They seem to be disoriented or lost, uncomfortable due to the absence of traffic noise and the rowdy singing of birds.

Since I was a child, I also sometimes became a walker (the always ephemeral inhabitant of a park). There was once when I got lost in the park. In the middle of a tantrum I started running furiously. When I realized that I was alone I started to cry. Now I think that my tears were also caused  by a subtle emotion: I was feeling at the brink of a possible adventure, as those lonely children who star in the tales of witches and ogres. 

This photo was taken during the 2020´s pandemic, when all the country was confined. During most than a month the park remained closed, fenced off by police ribbons (as if a crime has been committed). Then, we were allowed to go out just for hour. During those days, from my window, I observed this couple sitting in the same  bank, observing, in turn  together in silence the park  still deserted and savage, as is after years (maybe a entire life) of absence they have found  again. And I, after all this time (my entire life), in a certain way, I found my-self reflected in them.

  A place is where you live.

Space in space

Signboards, arrows and so on are not always leading you to the destination. A place definition may change by passing times.

Experience with the place

That day was superb, the Sun was radiant and the water of that small beach moved slowly, the peace of that place could almost be touched.
Behind me, the love of my life at that moment was waiting, hugging me while I took the picture. I have never felt as loved as that time.

The road continues, and I can't stop. Halfway there, some small clouds alert me that obstacles will appear, and it is impossible for me to spend a few seconds contemplating the sobriety of the frozen mountains in the background, I think of the hardness of being there but I am able to feel the solitude of those mountains .

Today, right now, I am at the top of one of those mountains and I allow myself the luxury of looking back to remember that day, when I was being hugged by her.
I look around, I know, I'm alone, she left years ago.
Now I look under my feet: 'I am very high!'
It has taken me so long to get here, I have had to overcome many obstacles, but I have succeeded.

I feel happy to have reached the top of the mountain, I feel strong and proud of myself. It is time to look ahead, I remember that I cannot stop on this vital path, but as I go down the mountain I can see in the distance a small beach.. I don't know what I will find there, not even when I will arrive, maybe someone will hug me again like her that day, maybe that will never happen again.

But I don't care what will happen, now I understand the life is just an ordered set of moments, and I am going to live all of them, because they are so fleeting ...

Brief explanation of the text

The contrast of the beauty of a small beach with the sobriety of the frozen mountains in the background is not just a combination that evokes peace, love and inspiration ... this image represents the road of life.

Life is made up of good and not so good moments, this image represents for me the contrast between those very different moments, it reminds me that we have to live them all because life never stops and that in the brevity of those moments there is always a lesson that we can learn.

A place only can be defined with its users.

Monday, 8:22am. I go out to the streets and it is evident how the pace of the city has awakened already: the streets are full with people in their work attires, suits and dresses, and parents walking their children to school. There are various people who wake up early to get intoxicated, a few nurses with their white attires sits in the step of their hospital entrance to smoke their cigarettes.

The city is waking up, some already at full pace, some buildings just opening their eyes with their particular sound of running metal blinds: rahh…. rahh…. rahh… most residents are able to accomplish the opening it with three pullings of the cord. People in the phone talking to other awaken people on the other side, about the frenetic rhythm of life: the groceries they need to do, the architecture project they are working on, what the boss said, the meeting of this afternoon, or talking to their loved ones with a smile on their face. The rhythm is constant, fast, contagious. It is hard to find frustrated faces, they just do what they have to do, preoccupied with making it on time, don’t arriving late, and fulfilling their commitments for this busy urban morning.

I took that pictutre because it is the first time in 22 years that living  in that place that i can feel the happiness of the people. Normally it is usually full of cars and it is impossible to walk through it. The photograph was taken from my balcony in Madrid  this winter in January.

Dirty, gray and full of graffiti tags, Bratislava’s post-soviet look carries an air of nostalgia and suffering which is not cleaned nor relieved yet. Architecture is a mix of 1970s to present buildings. Some modernist such as the inverted pyramid of the radio station, all the way back to medieval structures still incrusted within the city reminding us that even though Slovakia is a relatively new constituted country, its physical environment has a much longer history.

Like in other small European towns, the castles, government buildings or palaces -the elite- is literally above the people, in the highest hill or the highest part of the city like if overseeing the people… sometimes protecting them, sometimes controlling them.

One breathes heavy air in a city that still carries in the soul the weight of Nazi atrocities. It is common to find metal plaques around the city in memory of persons or families that were sent to concentration camps. There is one metal plaque of an artist called Adolf Frankl (ironically an Adolf), who, with some non-Jewish Slovaks, was arrested on September 28, 1944. Following a stay in the concentration camp in Sered, Slovakia, he was later deported to the extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Luckily, he was liberated and he survived. After his liberation he depicted his experiences in a collection of paintings and drawings called appropriately “Visions from the inferno”. The plaque reads: “through my works I’ve created a memorial for all nations of the world. No one, regardless of religion, race, or political conviction, should ever again suffer such -or similar- atrocities”. The Frankl family expresses their heartfelt gratitude to all who helped them and others, to survive the Holocaust.

I stopped to think at this outlook, from this place overseeing Bratislava, trying to image the scenes. Many buildings I saw, they keep constructing, keep progressing on the march of civilization… oh how very uncivilized -I thought- we still are as human beings who kill its own kind.

Mystical element is the sun

ardent and hot like only himself

sometimes cloudy, rainy and doubtful

sometimes strong, firm and secure

Orange, yellow or light blue

whatever you want to be

how and when you want to

no questions, no doubts about yourself

Just wanting to want to be

to grow, to believe

to live and feel and laugh

to sometimes cry, but always rise

Shy, alone, unique being

furious and fearful

how could it be

Alone, tender, alive, he is red

the slow world passes at his feet

without grudges nor fears

no doubts, no rush, no breeze

only him

Soon I dream, I live, I believe

to go beyond to a future thing

a dream and a feeling, and a laugh

here and there he has to come

Sun:

even in your absence you leave light,

your peace, your place, your solitude

even in your absence you are present

with hot brushstrokes captured in steam

Calm, smooth, intact water down below

with no worries, no memories to flow

fluid it dances and elapses here and there

being, seeing, hearing, going where?

Colored mist that attracts, what do you hide?

captivates, embraces, overwhelms

the secrets of heaven

ephemeral, agile, soft as the wind

Furtive, fleeing time that escapes at birth

where have you gone? where have you gone?

at the beginning or escaped suddenly to the end?

I have never seen such power, such energy and vitality in the ocean as in Nazaré, Portugal. Each strong wave, large and noisy is a reminder that this planet is alive and active. Almost flown with the wind, I immerse in a landscape of high energy. Everything around me is naturally moving: the ocean, the wind, birds flying, trees and grass try desperately to hold on to earth. I feel part of this movement, I jump and I am dragged by the wind. I feel alive. There is power all around us, and power within us, everything we know, see, hear and feel is energy. These waves, this landscape is a gift and it is only a small window to all of earth's wonders. It is our responsibility to respect, coexist and protect this planet, our own, one and only beautiful home.

Rotterdam Port is the largest in Europe and the ninth in the world. It extends over a length of 42 km with nine terminals dedicated to various uses and industries. On December 2017, I was able to have a guided visit to the impressive Port of Rotterdam. This picture was taken from the office building of Terminal # 9 (Rotterdam World Gateway – RWG) during cargo loading operations of a barge working with two gantry cranes (middle of the picture).

RWG is a “fully electrical terminal with a high degree of automation” (RWG). The two containers on the left are being carried by two of the 59 Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) at RWG. AGVs work with no driver nor remote control, but are electric vehicles with specific commands and utilize sensors to navigate their surroundings. Also, the gantry cranes are operated remotely from the office building I was standing on. These electric tools contribute to keep the container terminal surprisingly organized, clean, and quiet.

This picture captures the concept of David Harvey’s Theory of Urbanization under Capitalism. First, the Spatial Fix is an injection of capital into the built environment, either recycling buildings or constructing new ones. RWG represents an investment in high-technology infrastructure in the urban environment, and it has an impact in society by creating employment and propelling the local, regional and international economy. The spatial fix also serves, or is a direct reflection of, the technology fix.

Technology Fix is the reinvestment of surplus capital in new and improved productive capacities, i.e. in new sectors, products, processes or tools creating innovation and new rounds of economic growth. The AGVs and long-distance operated cranes are investments in innovative operational processes to increase terminal productivity. Automation allows faster loading and discharging of containers in and out of vessels, decreases the risk of errors, increases customer satisfaction and reduces operational costs. Also, by not having any stevedores, RWG reduces safety hazards for employees and liability for the terminal.

RWG is also an asset in itself, this is the Financial Fix. The total investment in this terminal has been approximately 700 million euros (RWG). It is the most technologically advanced, efficient, and therefore, the most expensive terminal in Rotterdam. RWG extracts ‘rents’ from expensive fees charged to vessel operators and freight forwarders, and is also a potential for capital gains, as it gains value due to its high degree of automation, efficiency, good quality service, and acquired reputation among customers and vendors.

This shows that uneven urban development is structural, not accidental. It follows different patterns of investment and disinvestments which, depending on profitability, produce different space configurations. The spatial fix, RWG in this case, implies immobilization of large amounts of capital into the container terminal, which is expected to have capital gains, but can also devalue and eventually be destroyed and replaced. This is yet another example of David Harvey’s famous observation that “Capitalism never solves its crises problems, it just moves them around geographically”.

This photo of a street in Barcelona was made by me once when I went with my friends partying before quarantine and before COVID hit us. This is the reason why it transmits me good vibes and good memories. One week after this day the quarantine started and everything went down. The place is near Catalunya square, and I made the photo because the amazing sky that we were seeing. If you asked me how I would describe this experience with three words I would describe it as funny, because we were laughing all the time, as euphoric, because the exciting moment, and as happy because I was feeling really happy.

In this place, is the first time that I saw my brother, it was at this moment my life changed but now, he is my favourite person and the most important in my life. I will always remember this moment because it was a new beginning.

Winner of the fourth prize of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your experience of places" 2021

The image is set against the massive compound wall of the 8th century Sri Parthasarathy temple complex dedicated to Lord Krishna located at Tiruvellikeni, Chennai. Deriving its name from the holy tank, Tiruvellikeni remains subconsciously indissociable with the temple context.

The image captures a scene of the weekly market held along the streets bordering the temple complex. The market is a major attraction amongst the local people as it offers a variety of things catering to all age groups, from toys to household utensils at a reasonable price. Apart from this, the market is especially popular for its additional entertainment such as balloon shooting, ‘robot’ astrology and handicraft making, adding more vibrancy to the overall experiences of the market.

 Interestingly the mind’s eye needs to delve deeper into the multiple layers embedded within the scene to comprehend the underlying connotations of peoples’ lived experiences of the marketplace. Amidst all these ‘visible’ aspects of the market, a significant feature that blends perfectly with the colourful and lively ambience so as to transform itself almost into an ‘invisible’, is the temple’s compound wall. Humbly playing a perfect backdrop for the shops arranged along its entire length, it firmly connects people with the context at various levels. Functionally its physical continuity creates a sense of direction and movement for people amidst the busy and crowded settings of the market environment. In its immediate context the temple’s compound wall partly painted (red and white) below symbolising auspiciousness and its natural colour and texture on the top evoking a strong sense of past, plays a passively active role in reassuring the cultural identity of people. In the larger context, the temple itself acts as a metaphor for continuity in time, subconsciously providing the required sense of stability and security amidst the rapid changes of modern society.

  Linked strongly to the temple context, the tangible aspects of the marketplace, people, objects and colours interpenetrate and superimposes onto one other, creating a strong sense of identity both at an individual and collective level. There exists a momentous transactional relationship between people and the place, where people identify themselves with the place and in turn, the place reciprocates in reassuring their identity physically, symbolically and metaphorically thereby firmly anchoring people to their lives. This great ability of place to ‘orient’ people amidst the rapid changes of modern society is a panacea for the present era of alienation. Remarkably, the wall not only acts as a physical backdrop for the market but unconsciously ‘situates’ people in their everyday living, establishing a profound and meaningful relationship with the physical world –the very essence of human existence.

 The market scene epitomises the richness of intangible aspects of places rendering the meaning to our tangible experiences in everyday life, asserting the extraordinary power of ‘place’.

Winner of the fourth prize of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your experience of places" 2021

A little over a year ago and in the middle of winter, I arrived in this wonderful city. When I was still in my country, Spain, I remember that people were surprised when I told them that I was going to study in such a stereotypical country for them. I didn't mind, I was leaving my country just to live emotions and to wise up in a foreign country where I didn't even speak the language and English is not widely used. And I have no regrets.

Spending a semester in St. Petersburg has been one of the best life experiences I’ve ever had. I could live situations that I wouldn’t have been able to live in any other country and to open my mind much more. At first I accepted the residence offered by the university thinking that I’d only spend the first few nights. I didn't like the conditions of the building and the idea of sharing a room, but as soon as I spent the first night, it was clear to me that this was my place.

I took this picture on my second night, it was in the afternoon and the heavy snowfall that began to fall gave me the excuse to propose to my roommate from Korea to go out to see the snowy center. From that moment on, we became friends and had a great time in Russia.

Winner of the fourth prize of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your experience of places" 2021

If you might be walking down the Rue des Brigittines in Brussels and seeing wired windows with white curtains, this might be Chapelle's vacant train station. Humble by its looks, invisible to the eye of an occasional passer-by, these layers are telling a story of a Jonction's monumental infrastructure, once planned as a "public dream" and now quietly unused. Sidelined by graffiti, covered with curtains, it reflects the truth of today but nonetheless invites to imagine what might be hiding under the wrinkles of the past.

i'm interior architect student in the north of cyprus. most of the time i'm walking around historical ruins in the city. in this view we passed near the st George of the Latins (the remains of one of the earliest churches in famagusta) and in one moment i had strange feeling . it was as if all the energy was there. i though for a moment what had happened here , what people have lived here . and once i came back to the present and saw in what calm and good weather i'm passing by this historic ruins with my best friend (my dog) and i quickly felt the past and present in one moment.

Much of Ho Chi Minh City is made up of a network of Alleyways, called Hems. These city spaces act as playground, market and shared extensions to the home. This picture captures a rare moment of peace in these normally busy spaces. The red chair, waits to be occupied as the owner goes in search of coffee.

We have been in our homes for over a year.  We work online, at least we try to work.  This photo actually shows that how I have spent the last year.  While looking at the screen at the desk... The objects that I touch the most are a keyboard, mouse, pen and cup.  I don't even want to see them anymore.  This process has taught me how much we humans need each other.  I realized how positive the effect of even seeing a smile is.  Despite this, we still continue to treat each other badly, I guess, even if people live through the worst disasters, they cannot learn to value, love and respect each other.

Patrimoni Vilanova i la Geltrú

Autor: ôscar Estruga i Andreu (2007)

Material: bronze

every Friday there is a fresh produce market

This river, located at the north-eastern end of Catalonia, begins its course in the Pyrenees and, after traveling 208 km and covering a basin area of ​​3,010 km2, flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The route allows you to discover the legacy that the river has left on its banks, symbols of the dynamism of its people. And it also allows you to discover a changing landscape: high alpine mountain, medium mountain, agricultural, coastal, urban, riparian and wetlands.

Squatters are often considered the filth of our cities. These are a group of underprivileged dispossessed families who migrated to urban areas in search of livelihoods. One such Squatter housing in Mumbai where the adjoining neighbourhood depends on them for daily help like maids, clerks, watchman, tiffin services, etc. As they provide the help, their living conditions are always neglected. Living on the encroached lands along sewage lines bearing erratic climatic battles like floods, fires and serious health disorders, leaves behind the only dream of normal city life and an end to their miseries... 

This is an experience in which i would love to share with everyone, especially the ones that would love to find themselves in places where they will meditate, feel the nature, the clear and cool breeze, and still have an interesting wonderful sight. This is a place where i personally use to go and sit and meditate and charge up my mind, the place is so peaceful and exquisite, which being there gives me an experience new to the one prior to my last visit. It is the Famagusta Walled City, which is also known as the Famagusta Castle.

I wouldn’t want to say there are no negative experience in this places, because all the times i found myself there i only try to focus on the positive thoughts about the place, but that doesn’t mean everything is perfect about the place especially regarding how some of the parts of this amazing historic heritage is neglected and being deteriorated, while authorities responsible for overseeing this place do little about making sure the historic aesthetical values are preserved and maintained.

When COVID hit, I had to move from where I lived since I couldn't afford rent anymore, so after staying at this new place I needed to discover the new area, the small Mediterranean in me was always looking for a raise of sunlight in something that would remind me of home, in this ghostlike town that the area became due to the pandemic and there it was! Warm, colorful and orange!

Winner of the first prize of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your experience of places" 2021

Are great things necessary to love?
Sometimes the smallest things are not enough to light the fire of love in your heart?
Proof that we shouldn't expect big things for love.  Seeing her sunbathing in her corner every morning when I wake up makes it more meaningful to wake up every morning.  You can't even imagine how full of love this tiny creature is.  The little thing that shines with love in my house of concrete that surrounds me.  I say small because it's really small.  With this little one, he taught me that in order to love, one should not have expectations.  We must love to love by accepting all our differences, our diversity, we must bring out love from a tiny glimmer without expecting big things because this world needs love.

The browns of the walls have grown pale and peel. The wooden drawers are the cash register. The lone chandelier, dusting peeling paintwork and ceiling fans that whirr above the chattering crowd with life-sized cutouts of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge smiling down at visitors from the dining room's slightly slanting balcony, amongst all this pageantry, Welcome to Britannia & Co in Ballard Estate, Mumbai. One of the many Iranian/Parsi cafes in Mumbai, it is one of the most revered space to learn the cultural extravaganza of Parsi community. This place is a phenomenon of cultural capital that has been exported from a foreign land, brought to this land by a settler community and yet it has ingrained itself in the rhizomatic layers of the city. These cafes, with their magnificently faded, time-capsule dining rooms and speciality dishes, are a gloriously eccentric part of the fabric of Mumbai. They are democratic and inclusive places, where people of all backgrounds, classes and sexes meet to indulge in conversations, cuisine and langauage that forms the crux of intangible cultural heritage of the city. 

While I sip my Irani chai(tea) with Maska-bun and wholesome Berry Pulao, I wonder how a smaller space like this has been a witness to mutilitudes of stories, emotions and cultural transactions over a century and has formed a cultural niche in the identity and imageability of the city. 

Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh, India is one of the oldest Rockcut stupas. I was on a study trip when I happened to visit this place. It carries a lot of sanctity, calmness and tranquility that one would wish to run away from their daily chaos. The architectural details in the stupas resemble the Eightfold principles leading to liberation in the form of 'Nirvana'. The carvings, monasteries and lush gardens of Sanchi Stupa have been designated as the World Heritage site by UNESCO and thus it truly catches the eye where one can experience enticing natural beauty.

When your city is beautiful and you can enjoy its view from an also beautiful and emblematic building, after it had been closed for years... you can't but feel grateful. 

Seeing Madrid from the 26th floor of the Edificio España building was the perfect alternative this year to celebrate San Isidro, patron saint of Madrid. Festivities were cancelled because of the restrictions due to the pandemic, but when you see Madrid from up there... boy, it looks like there is no virus around! People walking down the streets are so small... all you see is Madrid's magnificent architecture, the wonderful green shades of its parks in the spring, and the unique blue color of its sky...

Here we say "De Madrid al cielo" (From Madrid, right to the sky), and this was as close as we could get to a walk on the clouds over beautiful Madrid.

No. 18 Haralambie Botescu Street, Bucharest, Romania, January 2011. I was documenting the destruction of one of the most famous and picturesque heritage sites from Bucharest when I saw an old beggar sitting on the porch of a sports betting store. The 19th century building, originally an old inn with passages with, was due to be demolished as it stood in the way of a new city boulevard. This eventually happened two years after I took this photo, despite being a protected site.

Montreal's alleys are fantastic public spaces, that the City and its citizens started to recognize some years ago. They are extraordinary spaces of privacy, creativity and freedom, cherished by many parents... and children.

‘Urban gardens’ are a plethora of socio-cultural, historical and environmental learning, that allows varied observant assert the sense of ‘the right to the city’ or reclaim an ‘urban commons’. One such urban garden uniquely hanging upon a historical water reservoir on Malabar Hill has been a source of solace and wonder for all. Beautifully designed by Ulhas Ghapokar in 1881 and dedicated to Sir Pherozshah Mehta, it is narrated to have been built over one of Bombay’s main water reservoirs to protect it from getting polluted by the nearby towers of silence. The garden is a manifestaton of a positive energy welcoming diverse group of visitors who see their interests towards fostering ‘civic ecological sense’ and ‘social associations’ with the flora-fauna and history in the city. 

In Old Cairo, I went up one of the minarets that overlooks a narrow traditional commercial street that cuts through the hustle and bustle of the area. It was shortly past noon, and the sun projected the shadows of the minarets onto the rooftops of small informal houses. Upon seeing this, I came to realize the clash of tradition with contemporary methodologies in how our cities are shaped. We, products of contemporary products, do not see or buy or even comprehend genuineness any longer. We follow the national agenda of globalization. On the other hand, local inhabitants are the ones who resist the foreign market. Their resilience defines their identity. They create their own economy and city. Their spirit beautifies their simplicity.  

Winner of the third prize of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your experience of places" 2021

The beach has always been one of my mom's favorite places. This place was the last place I went with my mother before I moved to another country, so far from her... I remember that I reflected a lot on all the uncertainties and challenges I would face as a foreigner, away from all the people I love and everything I was used to. Today, two years later, when I close my eyes, I still remember that place, my mother and the feeling I felt that day.
 

Winner of the second prize of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your experience of places" 2021

One bottle from China showed on an island apart from China, there is still the same life experience connected by the ocean.

No hay mejor sensación que estar en casa. En casa, entendiendo aquel lugar dónde te sientes protegido, cargado de energía positiva, saludable. Allá dónde escuchas y sientes. Allá dónde eres feliz.

Living in Tokyo, otherwise nicknames as a concrete jungle, it is a blessing to ba able to enjoy outoodr natural environments like this. This is just a short walk from my house and it is a special place that makes living in a megacity a great experience. 

Aquest lloc  està just a baix de casa meva i a part es on vaig pasar la meva infancia jugant amb els meus amics i amigues.

Aquesta estatua mai m’agradat perquè és rar i no trobo sentit que estigui al mig  d’un parc.

Aquest lloc no m'agrada perquè ho té brut i quedaria més preciós si el netegen

he triat aquest lloc perquè és molt tranquil i amb els aniversari és guay.També amb els nens es diverteixen o per sortir una mica amb els teus amics o amb la família

No m’agrada molt aquest estanc perquè no esta gaire ben cuidat i queda una mica lleig

Vaig celebrar la majoria dels aniversaris amb els meus amics, també vaig conèixer a molta gent i perquè és un lloc natural i molt bonic.

Aquí tinc experiències positives perquè quan quedo amb les meves amigues vinc aquí i m’ho passo molt bé.

El parque nuevo es un sitio donde todos hemos ido algún vez de pequeños, pero seguramente nos habremos caído miles de veces.

Es un lloc molt tanquil al que pots anar a relaxarte , si tens fills pots deixar als nen al parque del costat  i sentarte al bancs de la foto.

Aquesta plaça em sembla bastant lletja ja que hi ha molt poca llum i no fan res perquè sigui més bonica, a part de que està mal situada i  té molt mal públic.

Aquest lloc em sembla molt bonic ja que fa que el parc aporti moltes coses, et pots relaxar i per últim fa una bona estètica.  

Lloc de quedades d’amics.

Per la tarda /nit no és un lloc molt segur per anar sol o amb un grup reduït ja que solen robar a aquella zona.

Els meus amics i jo hem passat per aquella zona un parell de vegades, l’edifici és bonic però no és una zona que solem transitar.

És el lloc on es van casar els meus tiets i anys després es van separar, i a sobre de petit sempre em donava por.

Ho veig com un símbol que ens recorda el passat i que hem d’avançar.

Winner of the fourth prize of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your experience of places" 2021

És una zona traquil·la on pots anar a passar l’estona i parlar amb amics, i fer un picnics.

Un lloc positiu perquè és un lloc on els nens i nenes petits poden anar a jugar.

És una zona on pots jugar amb gent a ping pong i a més hi ha una zona al costat on es pot jugar a més esports. 

És un parc on la gent es pot divertir molt. A més, es divideix en dos: un per a nens i un altre per a adolescents.

Aquest lloc m'agrada perquè pots passejar amb el gos, malgrat el soroll del trànsit.

La gent va si necessita alguna cosa, però hi ha molt de soroll i a vegades molesta. Hi ha molta gent.

Em sembla un parc molt atractiu per anar per la tarda, però a la vegada hi ha molts mosquits i això li agafa mala fama.

Em sembla un parc molt atractiu per anar per la tarda, però a la vegada hi ha molts mosquits i això li agafa mala fama.

Quan era més petita a l’hora de tornar casa de l’escola o a l’hora d’anar passava por aquest passeig

És un lloc per estudiar i llegir i té molts llibres, però a l’exterior hi ha una plaça des d’on surt molt de so i pot distreure a la persona que estudia a dins.

Aquí jugava amb els meus amics i amigues quan sortia del col·legi i gairebé tots els dies venia la meva àvia. És un lloc on tinc molts bons records i és com la representació de la meva infància.

El puc descriure com un lloc neutre perquè és un bon lloc per comprar moltes coses, però conec persones que han sofert robatoris.

Conec aquest mercat des de ben petita i sempre he anat a comprar.

Un lloc per passejar amb la família o amics. Pots passejar per tota la rambla, i depèn de que èpoques de l’any hi ha petites botigues.

És un lloc destinat a la relaxació, però hi ha molta gent i soroll que fa que sigui molt difícil relaxar-se.

És un parc on de dia està ple de gent gran i de nens, però pel vespre i quasi la nit, s’omple d’un ambient no gaire bo.

Aquest hem transmet bons records ja que sempre que anem els amics, ‘’el Pirulo’’ és el nostre punt d’entrada. 

Els meus amics i jo quedem els caps de setmana i ens quedem parlant sempre al mateix banc d’aquest parc.

He escollit aquest lloc perquè va ser la meva escola des de petit i tinc bons moments allà.

És un parc que hem transmet vibracions positives, li tinc molta estima ja que havia vingut de petit a jugar. 

Aquest lloc m’inspira mals moments perquè quan era petita em queia cada dos per tres i ho he batejat com el parc de les caigudes.

És un parc tranquil però mai dona el sol, així que fa una mica de fred.

Es diu Marina Center i m’agrada perquè és un punt de trobada amb els meus amics i no passa molta gent.

Anava tranquil en bici i em vaig donar el major ensurt perquè casi em menja un cotxe hi em vaig quedar amb una cara de por.

 Anava molt feliç per el carrer però em vaig caure a causa de la vorera i vaig plorar.

En aquest lloc passejava a la meva gossa amb la meva iaia i m'agradava molt passar temps amb elles, i ara que cap de les dues estan aquí ho recordo amb estima.

Quan recordo que vaig acompanyar al meu pare a comprar una moto, em dóna ganes de somriure.

És un lloc desolat i solitari, per la nit hi passen borratxos i et criden coses desagradables. No m’agrada gens ja que he passat moments molt angoixosos i he hagut d’aguantar comentaris horribles. Passar per aquesta zona només em transmet por.

Quan recordo que fa 5 anys van comprar els meus pares un matalàs, em vaig posar molt content.

Vam passar el millor estiu amb els nostres amics i amigues. Va ser un moment on les dues estavem tristes per motius familiars, i aquí vam conèixer alguns dels nostres amics actuals. En aquest lloc ens vam aïllar dels nostres problemes per unes quantes hores. 

Per a mi va ser negatiu perquè jugant amb un amic meu em vaig trencar un dit.El que vaig sentir va ser un dolor molt lleuger i tristesa perquè tindria que anar a l'hospital i no em podria quedar jugant.

Aquí vaig tenir una experiència molt dolenta. Anava cap a classe amb el meu avi quan era petita, el meu avi no podia aixercar molt les cames, i entre el mal estat de les escales i que tampoc hi ha una barana per a que es pugui agafar, es va caure a terra i es va donar al cap. Per sort el vaig poder agarfar per a que no caigués amb tanta força.

  En aquest lloc que surt en aquesta foto va ser on de petit em vaig caure de una  moto de nens petits. Hem vaig caure de  boca i doncs uns quants anys amb un   dent gris. En aquest moment em vaig sentir trist i amb molta ràbia de no poder fer res.

En aquest espai que surt en la fotografía vaig ser un dels meus dies més alegres de la meva vida. Va ser el primer cop que vaig veure el futbol en vida real i on el vaig jugar. Tambè va ser on vaig celebrar quan Espanya va guanyar el mundial de fútbol a Sudàfrica en 2010.                                            

era el atic culegi de sergi

Hem vag caure del pati electric 

va ser mi antic culegi de cole 

va ser mi antic culegi de cole 

Va ser mi primera casa a hospitalet.

la Soraya va tindre la experiencia de que quan era petita tots els aniversaris van ser alla i te molts bons record. La sensacio que te al passar per aquest lloc es alegria i añoransa. 

Es una experiencia negativa porque cuando camino o visito esa zona siempre veo que el agua esta sucia o que hay botellas dentro de el agua porque hay gente que lo tira y no me gusta ese aspecto y me da ganas de estar en otro lugar, lo que mas me inporta es que se limpie el agua y que no este sucia

En aquest lloc les meves amigues i jo ens quedem amb una manta a l’herba i ens posem a parlar o escoltar música. Em sento molt feliç perquè ens ho passem molt bé totes juntes.

Aquí ens quedem cada tarda els meus amics i jo després de classe per parlar i passar l'estona.

Es una foto de experiencia positiva. Porque cuando me siento en los Bancos me gusta contenplar la naturaleza y me gusta respirar lo limpio que esta y bonito, y me gusta pasar  y porque me siento libre y feliz

En aquest lloc va ser on em vaig trencar la nina amb els patins de línia. En aquell moment vaig sentir una mica de por perquè no sabia el que em passava. També vaig tenir un sentiment de dolor per la caiguda i no em vaig sentir molt bé.

Aquí ens quedem tots al sortir de classe per parlar i passar l'estona cada tarda.

En la foto es veu el lloc on quasi m'atropellen. Anava amb el patinet i un cotxe, que anava molt de pressa, no em va veure i quasi m'atropella. Si no m'hagués tirat ràpidament a terra, m'hauria atropellat. Després d'haver-me apartat el cotxe va fugir. Em vaig espantar molt, però després, en donar-me compte que no m'havia fet res vaig estar més tranquil·la.

Esta foto fue una experiencia positiva porque cuando pasé, vi a muchos niños animados jugando en el parque. Bellvitge también tiene muchos de estos parques. Estos parques ofrecen muchos lugares para que los niños jueguen, de modo que los niños tengan un lugar muy seguro para jugar. Porque creo que estos parques permiten a los padres poner a sus hijos en un solo lugar sin preocuparse, por eso creo que es muy importante.

En aquest lloc el que hem va passar es que hem vaig caure amb el pati elèctric, perquè una nena petita es va creuar i per no atropellar-la vaig fer un gir i vaig caure. Hem vaig espantar per l'impacte de caure i vaig tenir molts nervis pel que havia passat.

Al sortir de classe sempre ens quedem tots a parlar i passar l'estona als bancs de la plaça de la biblioteca.

Aquesta foto es on cada tarda al sortir del cole els meus amics i jo ens posem a berenar i a pasar la tarda.

Esta foto es de una experiencia negativa, porque todas las mañanas cuando camino por este jardín veo gente tirando basura en él, a veces la basura huele mal y me dan ganas de irme de allí lo antes posible, porque espero que a través de esto, la gente no tire basura, para que la gente pueda tirar la basura a la basura a voluntad, así que esto es muy importante para mí.

Cuado voy a este parque siempre me subo a ese árbol. He pasado muchos momentos hay así que se ha vuelto un sitio de tranquilidad para mí.
 

Cuando era pequeña, me caí al lago, y lo pase muy mal porque estaba muy sucio y frío. Aparte de que era demasiado incómodo ir con ropa mojada, recuerdo que ese día llore mucho.
 

Aquest lloc no hem porta molts bons records perque hem vcaig caure amb el pati elèctric, perquè es va creuar una nena petita i per no atropellar-la vaig fer un gir i vaig caure. Vaig sentir molta tristesa, també hem vaig espantar per l'impacte de caure i vaig tenir molts nervis pel que havia passat.

A aquest parc vaig tindre una experiència no molt agradable, vaig trepitjar una caca de gos i just quan passava la mare de la meva amiga em va veure amb tota la sabata bruta dels excrements que hi havia trepitjat.

En aquesta gespa, em quedi fins al vespre amb la meva antiga parella per a
veure les estrelles. Aquesta mateixa nit em va demanar ser la seva núvia, és el
millor que tinc amb ell a Bellvitge.

Het onzichtbare zichtbaar maken

In het heden is NU de ander kwetsbaar en fragiel. Samenkomen is heden tien dagen vergeten. Het belang van ontmoeting, het missen van creativiteit en het leren van elkaar. Het is een zoektocht naar het terug verbinden met de ander. Met een ruimte die van de oudheid al bestaat, die anders is, een heterotopie van zijn tijd. Een terugblik naar de oudheid. Zonder de aanwezigheid van een patio zou er geen bestaan ​​van een villa kunnen zijn, daarom was het meteen een gedeelde plek. In een patio waar de ander samenkwam, werd gezien als een ontmoetingsplek. De publieke ruimte bestaat niet meer. Het streven om de publieke ruimte te vormen, die vertrekt vanuit de innerlijke ruimte van de ander. Een poëtische marge waar de ziel van de andere zal raken.

De patio geeft een thuisgevoel, waarin architectuur vertrouwd zal geraken. Het streefpunt is om van de patio een zichtbare publieke plek te maken dat gedeeld wordt met de ander. De bewustwording van de ander is essentieel, maar deze wordt vandaag de dag vergeten.
Een metafoor van een patio. Een ruimte die gedeeld geraakt met de buitenwereld, waarbij het interieur openstaat en tegelijkertijd in verbinding is met de buitenwereld. Het start vanuit een omsloten patio waardoor de wand zich ontwikkelt door de naar binnen gerichte kleinere patio. Deze trekt de karakteristieke eigenschappen van de buitenwereld naar binnen. Door de omkering van een ruimte in een ruimte ontstaat er een patio in een patio. Deze omkeerbaarheid, vormt een drempelloze toegankelijkheid naar de innerlijke ruimte.
Zo wordt de onzichtbare wereld zichtbaar voor de buitenwereld, en wordt de onzichtbare onzichtbaar.

Este arbol puedes encontarlo a dos horas caminando de la ciudad de Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca. Este espacio se ha convertido en un lugar en donde puedo conectar conmigo misma, donde el cielo besa sultilmente a la tierra cuando miras al horizonte.

Cuando somos niños empezamos a experimentar con los lugares que se encuentran al rededor de nosotros. Se convierte en nuestrobentorno inmediato. 

Todxs tenemos algún lugar el cual frecuentábamos mucho de pequeñxs.

Este parque es mi lugar de infancia. :)

Todos buscamos un lugar en el cual sentirnos seguros y tal vez únicos. Ese lugar es el llamado "montículo" de mi país, Bolivia. Se volvió el lugar en el cual puedo realizar la actividad que más me gusta y género un nuevo amor a la fotografía.

Mi experiencia en ese lugar fue muy especial para mí ya que era la primera vez que yo hacía algo sola, era como la manera de probarme a mi misma y a mi famila que yo podía y que ya era mayor de edad, fui a montículo, un lugar céntrico en mi ciudad y totalmente nuevo para mi. Estaba caminando, observando todo y lo que más me llamó la atención fue la vista ya que se veía una montaña muy característica de mi ciudad el Illimani pero al momento en que la vi fue espectacular ya que estaba como en un cuadro debido a que se encontraban dos árboles que reflejaban, para mí, la naturaleza de mi país, así que le saque una foto, ahí nació mi amor a la fotografía, encontré un nuevo pasatiempo y lo segundo fue que se volvió el lugar en el que puedo expresarme libremente ya que empecé a pintar en mi cuaderno de dibujo. Así encontré mi lugar favorito.

Todxs tenemos un parque al cual siempre íbamos de niños, este es el que marcó mi infancia :)

"Al-Alwan" is a social project of training and occupational education with community impact carried out by the Bayt al-Thaqafa Foundation with young migrants without family references in the territory, young people who are cared for by the Bayt al-Thaqafa Youth Program, and who have special difficulties in accessing the world of working.

The "Al-Alwan" Project offers occupational training and vocational training for these young people, carrying out training in technical knowledge in the sector of cleaning urban spaces and, especially, specialized painting (both maintenance and painting of metal blinds for commercial premises), and in addition, this training includes other, transversal, basic skills to promote access to the world of work.

The community impact of the project is linked to actions to improve the environment of the neighborhoods where the project is carried out; specifically, the neighborhoods of Sant Pere, Santa Caterina and La Ribera in the city of Barcelona (in Spain), through the collaboration of different businesses, social entities and the public employment placement company "Barcelona Activa". With this, the service of cleaning, maintenance and artistic painting of metal blinds of the premises of different businesses, entities and ground floors, which face the street, was carried out, all transforming the urban reality from a social perspective.

So, the project transforms the public space (shutters of premises facing the street) of the neighborhood, offering more pleasant and artistic streets, and involving the people who own the shops, in addition to training young migrants for their employment.

Micro-interventions of acupuncture and urban hacking that diversify and increase the relationship between children and the public space through the act of playing. The purpose of JUGAPatraix is ​​to vindicate the sidewalks, streets and daily routes as playful spaces that improve and enriche the learning, well-being and spontaneous and free play of children.

The interventions have been designed and created by: FENT ESTUDI COOP.V., MAKEA, EL TRENET, FAP, ETSAV.

"City of Cats" refers to one of the poorer district of the city of Sousse. There are a lot of cats there, hence the moniker. The vivid blue buildings and antique doors that draw us in with their decor are what make this region distinctive. The generosity and compassionate handling of cats shown by the locals in this area set them unique. I recently came to this specific place after becoming disoriented in one of its little alleyways. Until I was helped by a group of kids I noticed, who in the meantime put sardines to feed the cats, whom in turn rushed in from all directions as soon as they scented the fish. This area seems to be a cat's paradise on earth, as cats live there contentedly and joyously. From this point on, I had the notion to use the blue walls of the houses as mirrors to symbolize the comfortable lifestyle that cats enjoy . I affixed the wallpaper that had been printed with my digital paintings, which were inspired by the gaming world, with the assistance of the neighborhood youngsters. The blue houses' exteriors resembled the sky and the sea, therefore clouds were added to make them look like the sky. Afterwards, a few cats were scattered among the homes to give the impression that they were pursuing a school of fish. these posters depict cats coexisting peacefully, which reflects the privacy of the place. i decided to stick the posters on these houses precisely because of their vast roofs and their shading, to ensure their durability. The kids were ecstatic about this project, and they were even more ecstatic when they realized that cats are like cartoon characters, and that the colors they use are ones that kids are familiar with. This stoked their enthusiasm for helping me cut out the posters and glue them on.

The female Tiger Spider makes its web following the crochet pattern. She is big and spectacular in nature and now shows her work on this facade. The language of the women, the crochet symbols and the unique signature to stabilise her fabric, this is done with love.

I created this large scale painted artwork on the facade of a building in the centre of Riba-roja d'Ebre, Catalunya, Spain as part of the Riu d'art residency. The tiger spider can be seen in the local countryside and their webs are incredibly strong. Their bodies are enormous with details like armour.
After further esearch I discovered that this spider is the female tiger spider and it is generally larger than the male.
It makes its web between structures and creates a unique signature to stabilize and personalize its creation.
Talking with the owner of this house, I discovered that she loves to crochet. The crochet techniqe is being preserved here mostly by the women of the village. It is these female activities that protect and continue vital cultural traditions.

The mural discusses ideas of human control and natural chaos. Linking our significant journey inside the Riba-roja d'Ebre hydroelectric dam, the dam opening, Sebes Nature Reserve wetlands, striking birds, wind turbines, fish, poppies, rosemary and olives. All alongside illustrated images on upcycled plastic bottle caps depicting personalised features relative to Otto and his house, pets and the area.The scene is inspired by our travels around the area and all the scenery it offers. It includes:
• the dam which we received a private tour of, specifically the control room panel, visually inspired by the source of the dams power and control.
• The Sebes Nature Reserve where the installation of the dam created wetlands, a fantastic area where wildlife and nature can roam free
• and Santo Domingo an area where the original constructors of the dam built there homes and lives

Continuing with the chaotic and controlled theme, it bled into the painting techniques we used, considering every opportunity to link back to the overriding concept to cover this 12 meter space. Jodie Lilley was master of the control area. Here she carefully drafted and constructed the crisp sharp angles lines and mathematically aligning the up-cycled wooden pallet to perfection.

Emma Jones and Eden Parkes were leading the freedom of chaotic growth, using paint splatter techniques and simplified shapes to create a meandering area of life.

I drafted the silhouette shapes of the birds in flight and feed, constructing a composition mentally as I went to keep a feeling of loose freedom and uncontrollability. The perspective shifting stork contrasts with the birds-eye view of the fish, touching on a sense of visual distortion.

The title of the mural ‘Sempreviva’ translated into English is ‘Always Alive’. We found this to be a fitting title as it portrays the overarching theme that Mother Nature is always going to find a way, is always alive and that we cannot control her.

To our delight the mural has been chosen to feature in this years Lacuna Festival in Lanzarote with the theme ‘Clash’. The work will be featured in their digital exhibition in July with presentation of our inspirations.

Our collaborative mural was a gratifying and satisfying process, inspired by our collective journey and significant experiences we felt lucky and grateful to encounter. The entire concept of this street art project is inspiring, alongside the inspiring people who donate their private space for a community based and social project. I’d like to thank Otto for donating his wall and for him to trust us.” (Text by Diva Keith)

Cinéma à la fenêtre (en néerlandais c'est Raam), CINE-raam-MA. Une fenêtre devient un écran de projection. Le projecteur à l'intérieur, les spectateurs se sont rassemblés à l'extérieur sur le trottoir.

Des câlins/doudous sans fin à la porte du garage pendant l'été 2020 corona. Des gens étonnés et souriants derrière leurs masques buccaux.

Notre oeuvre dans le cadre du projet MUSÉE EN RUE de la commune de Koekelberg et GC De Platoo.

Une simple boîte en carton avec une invitation à également déposer un doudou. Le plaisir de donner et de recevoir et de partager en retour.

www.moefie.be

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Ça bouge au parc Elisabeth - Koekelberg - Bruxelles!

Salut, nous sommes les poutres qui soutenaient les balançoires du Carrousel ELIZA ces deux derniers étés. Pendant le confinement, nous avons réfléchi – lorsque nous 
étions en train de prendre la poussière – à la perspective d’une deuxième vie. Cet été, nous formons l’installation circulAIRE. Nous vous invitons à nous grimper dessus, mais soyez prudent.e.s ! 

​circulAIRe est une aire de repos dans le parc, où on peut Circuler autour d’un arbre et remplir ses poumons d’oxygène. Cette installation est une construction pour laquelle aucun matériel neuf n’a été utilisé – à l’exception de 50 vis. 

www.moefie.be

Ça bouge au parc Elisabeth - Koekelberg - Bruxelles!
Une nouvelle jeunesse a été donnée au kiosque de notre parc urbain préféré, en y attachant 5 balançoires et en l’entourant de 10 tables de pique-nique. Un lieu pour jouer, pour rencontrer, discuter et tout cela dans une symbiose parfaite avec les activités du Bar Eliza.​​

Pendant toute l’été 2018 et 2019 dans l’attente d’une rénovation du kiosque, nous avons fait revivre ce magnifique patrimoine d’une manière créative, et nous avons invité les riverains à imaginer et vivre le parc autrement.

www.moefie.be

La cordillera de los andes en sudamérica es una maravilla, los pueblos originarios que vivían en los pueblos de los Andes a mas de 4.000 metros de altitud observaron las estrellas y de esa observación crearon telares multicolores. En mi habitación el sillón tiene uno de estos telares andinos, al verlo me llena de sensaciones y recuerdos que los puedo sentir en mi actual ubicación, L´Hospitalet de Llobregat.

La historia y el arte me dan sentido y respeto como ciudadano.

As 2020 rolled in, these were the walls that got me through quarantine. This was the bedroom where I sang, cried, laughed through phone calls with my friends, worked and slept.

A small bedroom, with an interior window. Me, doing different things, inside, as we all were, not able to be involved with the new-found community. 

”La Torrassa Florida”

Realizada en el año 2021, esta obra mural artística comunitaria de mosaico se ubica entre los limites de los barrios La Torrassa y La Florida, en L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona. Esta zona es la mas densamente poblada de toda Europa por lo que reivindicar el espacio publico para la ciudadania es una necesidad imperante. La zona intervenida se encuentra a la salida del metro Torrassa, en una zona de gran flujo peatonal y mucho transito vehicular, junto a un puente por el que pasa el tren. Dadas estas características, este espacio era simplemente un lugar de paso, que gracias a esta intervención se ha convertido en un punto de referencia y encuentro ciudadano, logrando acercar el arte a la comunidad, democratizando la cultura.

El objetivo de participación fue crear una flor en mosaico de forma libre de 25 cm de diámetro para conformar el mural. Tuvo una participación de 163 participantes con un total de 250 flores en mosaico, cubriendo una superficie total de 50 mt2 y producido en 4 meses. A nivel local se logró la participación ciudadana y de asociaciones en talleres gratuitos, logrando un total de 110 flores elaboradas por 76 participantes. A nivel internacional a través de convocatorias vía redes sociales y de envío postal de flores, recibimos un total 136 flores desde 12 países y 55 ciudades de Alemania, Argentina, Australia, Brasil, Chile, España, E.E.U.U, Francia, Italia, México, Portugal y Reino Unido, enviadas por 87 participantes.

La dirección de arte y producción estuvo a cargo de la Asociación La Gloria Factoría de Arte y el apoyo del Distrito Cultural. La Obra mural se ubica en: C/ Torrent Gornal 1, esq. Av. Cataluña de L'Hospitalet, en el límite de los barrios "La Torrassa" y "La Florida".

Los animamos a visitar el mural.

Winner of the first award of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your artwork" 2021

The municipality of Heist-op-den-Berg slided forward its church village Heist-Goor as a location for an artistic intervention in public space. Heist-Goor had become a so called ‘sleeping village’, where public services are drastically reduced and where people hardly connect with public place. Moreover locals had revealed the environment of the primary school and the church as a place with a distinct character that needed some upgrading.

Mount Murals (Ruth Segers), organiser of embodied collective art trajectories for reviving or  awakening feelings of attachment to place, created the Colour and Shape Heist-Goor trajectory (August 2019 to November 2020). At various well-known locations in the village, the dining space of the local bakery, the rehearsing space of the local brass band and the refectory of the local primary school, the following workshops were organised: 1. The ‘Idiosyncratic Machine’ workshop by Kristof Van Gestel. This workshop  was enriched with emotional links to local (persons’) places as embedded in the objects that started off the creative process,  2. Public Silk Screen Printing Workshop ‘Gezeever’, 3. Implementation workshop at three locations in between primary school and church: two walls of the electricity supply house in the school’s front yard, the side façade of the café next to the school, and the space along the pedestrian crossing between school and church were upgraded. All workshops were open to everybody with a certain affinity with the church village. Each workshop provided a joint result, whereby each participant recognised their own contribution.

In this small community of about 1500 postboxes, having 70 individual participants in a new artistic venture is an accomplishment. An important part of the impetus of taking part was the prospect of (grand)parents to share in a creative way their sense of belonging with their offspring, and in doing so embellish a characteristic place in the village which simultaneously signifies their shared belonging.

The space

The arcades are an architectural and cultural heritage typical of European cities, from the late Middle Ages to the contemporary. The historical mercantile model is developed in Italy, in particular in Turin. Via Sacchi is s a road with monumental arcades on the west side, built between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

Artistic intervention

‘Portici d’Artista’ is an ongoing project for the regeneration of the arcades of Via Sacchi through art en plein air, developed by the citizens' committee Rilanciamo Via Sacchi, with young artists and traders, Politecnico di Torino DAD and Albertina Academy of Fine Arts of Turin, sponsored by District 1 of the City and supported by Torino Creativa.

The first phase concerns the painting of art on metal shutters of the shops, opening on October 16, 2021. The works are designed and executed by the students of the Albertina Academy: A.Arillotta, E.Barmaverain, G.Bertin, B.Bernazzi, F.Calzolari, C.A.Carvelli, A.Gastaldo, F.Grillo, A.Pettiti, D.C. Rivadossi, L.Rosato, L.Turotti, G.Zorba.

Involvement of the community

The citizens' association involved inhabitants, exhibitors, artists and architects in various meetings to define together the themes of public art. The sketches are submitted to the City of Turin and to the Superintendency.

The work on the street and the final walk are an opportunity for an open dialogue that involved the inhabitants and the visitors of the street.

Impact on the sociophysical territory

Via Sacchi is defined the periphery of the urban center. The commercial decline has triggered a general decline, which is not only the public thing, but also the private one.

'Portici d’Artista' is part of a process for raising awareness of the inhabitants, the enhancement of the historical heritage and the cultural, economic and social revitalization.

“Stray plastic” offers people the chance to stay in unused "stray space", a space that is no longer used and therefore becomes empty. This can be churches, offices, sheds and many other places. By means of a temporarily formed and quickly movable residence, consisting of a plastic membrane into which air is blown, the previously unused space is given a temporary fill-in. The importance of this action comes from the fact that there is a considerable supply of unused space. It is to counteract this that I design "Stray plastic", a place to stay within " stray-space ". By dealing with space in a nomadic and temporary way, we will be able to deal with vacancy in a meaningful way. Concretely, the place will become a residence, thanks to the movable trolley that compactly contains all the elements needed for living. Like the airco that inflates the plastic membrane like a balloon. The cleaning brush that later becomes the table leg, the iron you can cook on and other elements that contribute to the place of residence. It will be a generous abode, because the unused space will be borrowed by those who need it. This, to me, is the key/formula/prescription to a generous homestay: to deal with space differently and to look at our place in the world in a humble way. An attitude that influences everything we do. Temporary building with air is a reaction to the world of design and architecture. The world where there is always more, more beautiful, bigger and more permanent design. In doing so, I question all these things and create an "anti-architecture" that goes against the rules and where temporariness and the nomadic are central. A place where we question the space/objects used. By staying in a movable interior, there is a possibility to change your attitude towards society.

Winner of the audience award of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your artwork" 2021

Emmanuel Levinas, a Western philosopher who criticizes the basic premise of Western philosophy: the subject 'I' that takes center stage. Just think of Descarte's famous quote "I think, therefore I am". The same 'I' perspective is often taken as a central point in architecture. The central point of Levinas is 'the other'. However, our mind is trapped in the 'I' dimension, quickly forgetting the other in it. With this research I want to give shape and substance to this phenomenon, the awareness of the other in the city, in the public space. I saw my home city of Ostend as a spatial lab, as a place where alterity thinking can be introduced.

The philosophy of Levinas shows that the interior of the house is an important place to be open to others. When we can show this inwardness to the other, we can build relationships with others. When the interior remains hidden, it misses the opportunity to reveal the other. In other words, if we can combine interior architecture with the Levinasian philosophy, we give the other a chance to be received through interior architecture in public space.

with this research I tried to expose the deep inside (the interior) into the public space for the other. The other is thus valued in his actual alterity in the public space. In addition, I argue that if we can turn the fixed points of the interior outwards, we better embrace the other by moving the central 'I-perspective'. It is therefore through our imagination that we get the chance to shape alterity thinking.

The design proposes a surrealistic cut, in which a shift between the boundary of the 'I' and 'the other' occurs by reversing the fixed architectural points. The act of inverting these values ​​is a spatial fact that results in a design strategy.

Winner of the audience award of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your artwork" 2021

This artwork is a narrative map as part of a project to upgrade the "Route de Vannes", a commercial sector in the city of Nantes. The "Association de la Route de Vannes” has developed an interactive platform reflecting this project. The Narrative Map of the Route de Vannes reveals its historical identity and illustrates the perimeter covered by the shops and businesses on the route. The interactive platform created for the occasion hosts the map and reflects different eras through illustrated frames that go back in time. The Map represents key places, atmospheres, anecdotes, historical buildings in a subjective and interpretative way through research and meetings carried out in parallel. This map has been created between December 2020 and September 2021. Different steps have been necessary to create it :

• In situ visit
• Urban, cartographic and historical research, reading interviews
• Series of workshops with iconographer, sociologist ...
• Illustration of a map of the current situation and historical frames
• Posting of illustrations on the interactive platform

Les ‘Cartes Narratives’ are hand-illustrated cards that tell stories about a place - a street, a neighborhood, a city - for a day, a week or a year. They are illustrated in the form of axonometric plans with proportions and scales open to interpretation, revealing characteristics, key places, anecdotes, atmospheres and the identity of a place. They reflect the personal feelings and the own experiences of the illustrator, residents and individuals, and allow encounters, spaces and stories to be remembered. Les Cartes Narratives are a tool for communication, discussion and reflection on a territory. In particular, they make it possible to establish a link between residents and project leaders or designers. They link the different areas of expertise of the illustrator, namely, land use planning, the development of a participatory process and illustration by hand.

Winner of the audience award of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your artwork" 2021

This artwork is a narrative map as part of a participatory process around the redevelopment project of the surroundings of the Gette in the city of Tienen, in Belgium. This map has been created between October 2018 and October 2019. Different steps have been necessary to create it :

• Urban, cartographic and historical research
• Walks along the Gette: getting to know the place and the inhabitants
• Workshop with local residents: analyze the site, strengths, weaknesses
• Illustration of a map that transcribes the research and the content of the walks and the workshop
• Workshop around the final map: analyze reactions, generate ideas for the project.

Les ‘Cartes Narratives’ are hand-illustrated cards that tell stories about a place - a street, a neighborhood, a city - for a day, a week or a year. They are illustrated in the form of axonometric plans with proportions and scales open to interpretation, revealing characteristics, key places, anecdotes, atmospheres and the identity of a place. They reflect the personal feelings and the own experiences of the illustrator, residents and individuals, and allow encounters, spaces and stories to be remembered. Les Cartes Narratives are a tool for communication, discussion and reflection on a territory. In particular, they make it possible to establish a link between residents and project leaders or designers. They link the different areas of expertise of the illustrator, namely, land use planning, the development of a participatory process and illustration by hand.

This is a corner just by the entrance door of Örebro art college in Sweden. A simple, ordinary table is standing there for years and sending the same message: " You can take everything put on this table." It also means "If you want to share something, you could put it here." Anything put on this table can be taken by someone. This is a place provides the space to reflect how we think about our behavior of owning things, and how we share in our community. This simple table with the simple concept of sharing changes people's mindset. 

"Something I do not need anymore,
Might be something you are looking for.
Something I do not like anymore,
Might be something you are attracted to.”

The table is just a start, a median. Inspired by this table, people here stop buying new cloth instead of changing cloth regularly. People go out of this place and continue to spread the influence wider, further, and deeper. Sometimes, to change a place, to change something does not need a big, complex project. It matters how a place and the people grow together with the time.

The main purpose of the intervention is to redirect the common course of pedestrians inside the main square by reactivating the zone with an exterior exhibition guided by a lightning jellyfish made of pvc pipes.

Los "pedales estáticos" cumplen la función de reactivar la zona de la Plaça de la Cultura de Bellvitge. La ubicación es escencial para entender su funcionamiento, se colocaron al lado de los pedales de bicicleta que están frente a unos bancos para sentarse. Al colocarse ahí, resaltan la controversia de que en un mismo banco pueda haber un sector de ejercicio y uno de descanso. La combinación de tubos de pvc en forma de codo, generan una figura similar a la de una vibora, con niveles altos y otros bajos. De esta manera, con un único objeto se ofrecen múltiples apoyos, invitando a las personas a utilizar esta zona. 

La intención de esta escultura es principalmente ser un punto de referencia en una zona tan transitada por los miembros de la comunidad de Bellvitge. Se conforma por dos estructuras principales de PVC que forman una especie de escalera orgánica, y se unen encontrándose al centro. El objetivo es llamar la atención, animar el espacio, convirtiéndolo en un lugar en donde la gente pueda reunirse y convivir

Narrative İnfrastructure of Famagusta is a pilot project to map the oral histories of the commuinty as a way for locals to imbue their environment with their own stories.

Narrative İnfrastructure focuses on existing neighborhoods and helps them recognize and reinforce their informal traditions. Developers and politicians can use community story maps to enhance continuity with projects, contextualizing new initiatives with the local sense of identity. We do this by recording and mapping the oral history stories of the neighbourhood, and looking for patterns in the story themes that can be incorporated and expanded upon.

El trabajo consiste en la relación y conexión de tres sitios: el parking de viviendas, la plaza y la rambla. Los tentáculos se entrelazan en la farola con una doble función: la de reactivar el sitio y unir al mismo tiempo zonas no conectadas. Los tubos representan esa union generando un crecimiento ascendente por la farola de las tres ramas que se termina sintetizando en altura en una sola como “union de partes”. Los extremos contienen macetas/tierra y un contenedor de agua; simbolizando las necesidades de espacios verdes y agua necesarios en estas zonas. 

At the end of 2020 Rhizoma Design and Research Lab launched a Call for Postcards to explore the effect of the pandemic on public space, inviting designers, artists, and activists to reflect upon the paradigm shift happening in cities, observing the changing everyday praxis of inhabiting public space as well as envisioning its future, to capture their insights in a Postcard. The format is a provocation per se, as it encapsulates the idea of travelling -  action forbidden by the pandemic.

The call led to a virtual and physical exhibition titled, Back to the Future of Public Space: Postcards from 2020, a collective narrative encapsulating thoughts, fears, and hopes on the role of public space in our lives.  

The exhibition is a travelling entity that adapts and is shaped by the place and the people that host it. Since April 2021, it has been hosted in different places, creating a network of spaces across the globe temporarily transformed by the exhibition and involving the community in the transformation.

Community participation was achieved through the model of a Do It Yourself exhibition that provided people with a manual offering simple instructions and suggesting a creative interaction with the exhibition. 

The participation of the community in the setting of the exhibition generated a new connection between the hosting space and the users, temporarily making the hosting space a framework and place to trigger reflections and discussions.

Among other spaces, the exhibition was set up at the Rhizome LLC Space, College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Virginia Tech (US) in September 2021. Students and faculty collaborated in making the exhibition, shaping together the temporary setting of the space. 

This travelling exhibition is an example of how art and creative actions can create a bond between a space and the people that inhabit it.

Winner of the third award of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your artwork" 2021

El proyecto consiste en crear con los tubos una gran maceta irregular de distintas alturas, con flores en su interior e incluyendo 2 de los arboles existentes de la zona que hemos elegido. El sitio donde nos ubicamos es un poco alejado y menos visitado por la personas que frecuentan este sector ya que eligen otras zonas para pasar el rato, por eso nuestro objetivo es darle mas color y vida a este lugar para atraer a las personas y se vuelva mas llamativo.

El proyecto consiste en crear con los tubos una gran maceta irregular de distintas alturas, con flores en su interior e incluyendo 2 de los arboles existentes de la zona que hemos elegido. El sitio donde nos ubicamos es un poco alejado y menos visitado por la personas que frecuentan este sector ya que eligen otras zonas para pasar el rato, por eso nuestro objetivo es darle mas color y vida a este lugar para atraer a las personas y se vuelva mas llamativo.

The location that we picked was so isolated that is why we wanted to make this place attractive. The first thing you can see in this location was trees and the shape of triangles on the ground. We wanted emphasize those with making this tringular 2D shape as a 3D and creating sculpture as abstract trees. When people come visit this sculpture they can take advantage of shadow that trees create at day time and at night time we can use street light as a advantage.

LA FAILLE is an urban social sculpture of the garden city Kapelleveld in Brussels which was co-produced with the philosophy of working from within the existing socio-spatial context.

Through reintroducing in the heart of the city a garden we work from the existing landscape planning as the project recalls and recreates a relationship to the valley and to nature that was originally set out in the 1920 urban planning of the garden city.

Through reusing the existing materials that we find and collect on the site itself with worked from within the existing physical situation, giving a second life to the existing materials on the site.

Through working with the existing actors on the site - mainly the inhabitants -  to co-design and co-construct a series of urban interventions we produced a process of setting up the urban social sculpture in the garden city Kapelleveld.

The project was financed by SLRB (social housing institution of Brussels), made possible by the programme of the 101é% of the SLRB (artistic department of the social housing institution of Brussels), designed for ABC, co-produced with the team 55 (inhabitants from the cité Jardin) and designed by Alive Architecture and Taktyk.

Eligiendo los tubos de pvc azules, consideramos armar una escultura que se entrelace en la farola del extremo. Esta puede unir a traves de tres brazos extremos los tres puntos de conexion: el parking del housing, la plaza publica y las demas farolas. De este modo la escultura intenta habitar el lugar y a la vez conectarlo como nexo con el resto.

Un performance llamado “Oxímorón” donde hizo un graffiti invisible.  Esta pieza de arte acción que unió protesta y psique para llevar el inconsciente hacia una dimensión social. Este acto en si lleva implícita la fuerza de la protesta. En una propuesta lúdica y festiva, Mercedes inició abriendo simbólicamente el espacio para después escribir y pintar de manera patafísica, es decir, pensando en soluciones imaginarias plasmadas de esta manera en el espacio público.

Muchas de las protestas sociales lideradas por mujeres, han sido identificadas en varios casos con la pinta de monumentos o lugares emblemáticos de las ciudades. Ello ha generado polémica ya que muchos consideran válidas las consignas pero no el método.

Cabe mencionar que la Plaza de Armas de Saltillo Coahuila México, está cerrada con vallas, desde hace algunas semanas, lo cual ha generado descontento en la población. La acción artística de Mercedes también pone de manifiesto  el absurdo de cerrar la plaza, mismo que da pie al sentido artístico del acto patafísico; ya que la plaza es un espacio público, para todas las personas, para el encuentro social, político, comercial y cultural, que al cercarse genera una contradicción,  propia del sentido del oxímoron que da pie a la frase de la artista: "A oídos sordos, palabras invisibles”.

“El cuerpo requiere de esa catarsis, por lo cual, fui invitando al público presente a que también se manifestara utilizando los botes de aire comprimido como pinturas y colores imaginarios donde pudieran llevar a cabo esta acción de libertad”, agregó.

Site-specific intervention in a forest. After a conversation with about perspectivism and Amerindian rituals, the participants were asked to think of someone who was not already on this plane, and something they would have liked to have said and had not had a chance. It was said that we would enter the forest in silence and that light would be a protocol between worlds. After arriving in the dark at the place chosen for the intervention, a set of lights flashed following a generative algorithm illuminating the forest in dialogue with fireflies, frogs and the sounds of leaves.

Winner of the second award of the A-Place Mapping contest "Share your artwork" 2021

Miragem was a site-specific intervention in Sunset square, one of the few public spaces in the city of São Paulo that makes it possible to witness the sunset. It is a place that, despite its location in an upscale neighborhood, is frequented by diverse people who gather to socialize, make music and dance, practice sports and yoga, share a picnic or simply relax.

The proposal was to modulate a semi-circular space with LED panels that would amplify the power of the encounter in dialogue with a body of suggestive and inspiring images. The work was activated on several occasions with participative shows, spoken world open to the public and performances.

Located in a vacant train station in Brussels, the aim of three (proposed) interventions was to (re) construct the social, spatial, and material aspects of space with the means of historical imagination, drawing, and mapping.

Past, present & future tenses were used to investigate the changes throughout time and reflect upon the futurities in the public infrastructure.

Project was made in the framework of architectural master studio "Jonction in transition" (KU Leuven, Brussels) dealing with vacant spaces along the busiest train connection along the city - fostering local community, activation, bridging sites between bottom-up and top-down approaches, acting as a mediator.

The final outcome of the work was a short film ( https://youtu.be/Etqzf105UCM ).

The marsh of Monastir (in Tunisia) is a favorable environment for a delegation of migratory birds such as "flamingos", as well as many other types of birds such as ducks and various types of gulls. Despite the construction of the airport and the metro line that crosses the marsh, the birds have remained attached to this ecological station and have not abandoned it. One of the characteristics of this bird is that it forms incubators, as some husbands stay to guard the chicks, while the others start bringing food from nearby slums and distant places to return to their seat to feed their young at sunset. This place is then associated with birth, fertility and life.

Due to the sewage being poured into this lake, the number of birds gradually decreased and the birds' nests became empty.

This problem inspired me to create my project. According to different cultures, the egg is considered a symbol of life, fertility and the victory of the love of life over the darkness of death. According to Finnish legend, the egg is the beginning of the universe or the beginning in which the universe was born.

The legend says that the goddess "Luonnotar" spent her life alone in the vast emptiness of space.  Then she fell from the sky to the earth. Then the seagull came from the distant horizon, and on her lap she built her nest. Then the goddess felt a heat flowing through her body, as if her knee was burning and her veins were melting, the bird laid her eggs on her knee, which trembled, then the eggs rolled on the water and were broken. From the lower part of the eggs was formed the earth, mother of all beings; from their upper part, the sublime sky; from their yellow parts, the radiant sky; from their white part, the bright moon; their speckled debris became stars; their black debris the clouds of the air. "Luonnotar" continued the process of creation, creating the seas, bays and shores, and the depths of the oceans.

From this legend I began my project . I made a sculpture in the shape blue phoenix with two large wings protruding from its head, The phoenix bird symbolizes immortality, resurrection and life after death but this time the bird is weak and his heart is bleeding , I chose the blue to be in harmony with the blue of the sky and the marshes, and to contrast with the color of the ground. Then I distributed a group of gypsum eggs among the marsh grass, indicating that this place is the source of life, fertility and birth so we should protect it and stop polluting it . I colored the eggs blue, referring to male birth, pink to female birth, and purple gradient, which is the mix between pink and blue for other sexual orientations. Then I took photographs of the installation to document it, as the final work will be in the form of photographs, as I have no desire to leave the installation in the marsh or to make the marsh an open exhibition space where I wish to preserve the purity and tranquility of the place and its vitality without leaving a trace, as I am ultimately interested in the images that perpetuate the trace.

New Memories is an interactive audio-visual installation created for the full experience. The work consists of one recycled and reused old and non-functioning Renault car, drawn on with four different line drawings for four different scenes for the four sides of the car windows. Inside the vehicle, a red light is inserted along with a narrative audio file explaining the meaning of the window scenes.
The idea behind New Memories is a revision and re-examination of the present by creating different alternatives for the past and the future. More specifically, by offering an alternative reality in the form of a story to raise the question of what we are doing with them right now and the real future. After getting out of the car, the artist takes a polaroid photograph of the “tourists”, who, following the development of the photo together, receive it as a gift and create new memories.

The piece is a part of a larger body of work, and it consists of a series of interventions in public places either as drawings or images of a confined space with dimensions of a pavement tile. These new mini images made during listless walks and uneventful routes have been left for the random passer-by to discover. The intent of these pieces is to provide an outlet and change the monotonous every day and take the viewer to a whole different magical vista and abstract space. The project is a form of digital and physical photo-documentation of “spyglass”, much like a small map of various locations where the images can be found.
 

The unprecedented protester violence and destruction of the Chilean urban insurrection began on October 18, 2019 with the arson attacks on 20 metro stations in 6 hours in Santiago, the capital city. This terrorism’s epicentre was Plaza Baquedano, now called Ground Zero. After two months of incessant violence and destruction, the material damage was estimated at $US 106 million (not including the Metro of $US 350 million). In Plaza Baquedano are Metro Baquedano and the Monument to General Baquedano with the tomb of the unknown soldier. The Monument was constantly attempted to be toppled and the tomb made a permanent protest pyre. On January 18, 2020  I decided to clean the tomb’s bronze plaque to reveal the embossed text for anyone who could read. I had 7 conversations. 1. Carabineros (Chilean Police) checked my Chilean ID and we talked about the monument.  2. A woman with two children asked, "do you know where’s Matapaco shrine?” (Matapaco means Cop Killer and is the protesters’ mythical mascot dog). 3. Two female Basque tourists talked about protest. 4. Two North American tourists had a Chilean guide who cynically told me that "things can be replaced ..." and I finish his protest slogan for him with "but people can't." 5. A Chilean Father and son read "here is a soldier who fought with General Baquedano and triumphed”. 6. Chilean males approached and threatened me that “March will be hell” without knowing we were on COVIDs threshold. 7. Chilean National Council of Monuments (CMN) representative asked me to stop cleaning because the plaque is heritage listed and protected. CMN removed General Baquedano’s statue on March 15, 2021 to protect it. Its empty plinth and tomb are protected by a 3-meter-high welded metal cube able to withstand the impact of a vehicle travelling at 80KM/H.

The work examines the results of a change, and the way its impact can go beyond the original alteration itself. How an observed change can be considered not merely as a modification that happens in something, but as an initiative for the realization that a change in general can occur? Can a piece of art trigger this realization? Can it act almost as a stimulus?

The artist constructed a concrete sculpture and installed it in the centre of Mavilli square, in the west suburbs of the historical centre of Thessaloniki. Afterwards, he went towards the city center where he got on a taxi heading for the Mavilli square. When they reached their destination, the new image of the area attracted driver’s attention, making him seem doubtful about this new alteration. Despite his disagreement, the possibility of the area’s reformation was then obvious. The driver suggested ideas and proposed further and alternative modifications for that place, creating a potentially new square. When the taxi driver left, the sculpture removed.

Pocket Park

The original site is located in Rasphuis Street, in Ghent, Belgium. The area chosen for the project is a small plot between two houses. Some elements have a significant presence in the original site such as vegetation that grows on the soil and in the walls. Furthermore, the vertical walls around the site have a significant visual presence due to the houses on the sides. Instead of building another house, I proposed a pocket park.

Nature itself is sensorial. Thus, in this project, the pocket park is a means used for the expansion of green spaces in the neighborhood.

Using elements that already exist on site, in this small park project, the plants are free to develop naturally, respecting the changing seasons and the needs of the nature throughout the cycles.

Vertical wooden structures are placed to emphasize the sense of verticality that is present in the site and to resemble trees that cannot be placed in this small space due to the roots and proximity to the houses. In addition, the wooden structures have different sizes and diameters to simulate the diversity of trees, and the small slope at the top of them serves to emphasize the presence and sound of rainwater in the park when it is raining, and for the water does accumulate on the top.

I present the photo of a real house and the model, it belongs to a series of different houses in the surroundings of Buenos Aires, the model usually associated with large architectural undertakings, is seen here in an inverse procedure to capture the diversity of styles, of that Buenos Aires without architects where each neighbor decorates his house to his liking, without the urban rules of the big cities and in which we can read the socio-cultural map of the development of the suburbs in the different decades in those houses of similar construction, personalized with golden lions, deer and religious murals

They are made of cardboard in 1:70 scale. The photo of the house was taken one year ago and the model was made in 1994 and is currently part of the Collection of the National Museum of Fine Arts, Argentina.

In urban centers around the world, inexpensive curbside parking results in increased traffic, wasted fuel and more pollution. The strategies and values that generate these conditions are no longer sustainable, nor do they promote a healthy, vibrant urban Human Habitat ( Shoup , 2011). 

Lahore, as one of the metropolitan cities of Pakistan, has seen an unprecedent growth in its population as well as an uncontrollable urban sprawl. In the mean time public space are shirking at great pace and existing one are being engulfed by private sector to earn profit. All of this has deprived the Lahoris ( those who live in Lahore) of spaces where they can interact , express themselves or simply relax. Park-ing , an initiative by AARC,  aims to directly address this deprivation issue by creating temporary public space pockets in different part of the city.

Employing art -play initiative i.e., combination of local games, participatory art, and recycled urban furniture made of plastic bottles, the artist aims to reclaim the metered parking space as a rich new territory of creative experimentation and activism and to transform one parking space into a park for one day

My artistical and architectonic practice investigates the action of walking while drifting and the usefulness of this action as a way of understanding space. Drifting permits one to experience place, revealing numerous dimensions of the urban landscape that are recognised through the body, in a relation in which subjectivity (and the intersubjectivity) are fundamental. 

From the unfolding of graphic products - after a series of drifts in the neighbourhood of São Cristóvão - understanding their potential to re-interpret some areas recognised during the drifts, resulted the creation of the series “this place is here”, a site-specific intervention consisted in the collage of posters.

Each image is an abstract reference to the place where it was pasted. The purpose of the action is to draw the attention of passersby to some aspect of the landscape that was perceived - and valued - by my gaze from the drift. This intervention seeks to ask people “do you realize what I perceive here?”

ARTOT Festival

The aim is to bring the performing arts closer to the territory through almost twenty cultural proposals

sant jordi shop

Work of Jofre Oliveras in collaboration with the spanish photographer Lucia Herrero.

In one of the ancient and empty streets of Covilhã, an old and desertified city in the center of Portugal, we find this wall. 

Here two inhabitants of Covilhã surround a fashion design university student. The university transformed the city, brought  different people to the town.

WALL ART in public espace

Wall art on public espace

Art intervention on urban public espaces

Il Riccio (The Hedgehog) is a pavilion where books are shared. It is built in Piazza Pinto, the central park of Gioia del Colle. Designed by PROFFERLO Architecture, the pavilion functions as an urban landmark where it provides a sheltered space to exchange books.

Il Riccio is dedicated to Michele, a book peddler who played an important role in promoting a culture of reading books within the mid-size town of Gioia Del Colle (Bari) in southern Italy. He sold second-hand books for a few Euros, entertained his customers with stories and advised them on the right choice of book. When he passed away, the local community decided to keep his cultural activity alive with a book sharing facility in the main garden of Gioia del Colle, exactly in the same place as Michele’s stall.

PROFFERLO was given the opportunity to design this facility in memory of Michele. Il Riccio builds upon Michele’s legacy as a highly engaging architectural intervention where it invites the visitors to experience new activities and encounters by being an open and public platform. The pavilion activates the existing space with the help of a local company who aided the realization of this project. The zoomorphic form plays on the ambiguous field of the reference attached to an architectural object (hedgehog, factory, bunker, and so on) that lands like a meteorite on a lawn.

Il Riccio was prefabricated offsite in two pieces of bent sheet metal mounted on a three-dimensional frame that served as a structure and shelving. On the side, the façade shows a circular and a rectangular opening where they become the eyes of the hedgehog. These were laser cut on the sheet metal and overlapped with a dark grey metal grating module. Inside the pavilion, the sawtooth roof allows an unexpected uniform light where the sky blue colour of the interior glows within. At night, Il Riccio becomes a lantern where the blue interior shines out of the “eyes” of the hedgehog. This reversal of light from inside to outside becomes an attraction amongst the dim landscape of the garden.

Gutters are bent to follow the roofline of the pavilion and conceals their presence, maintaining a clean geometric form. The integrated structure of the shelves allows the users to organize the collection of books. The shelving elements uses wooden boxes and boards and they can be used separately or together providing the user with different ways to store the books.

Starting from next spring at the lawn next to Il Riccio, authors will be given the opportunity to launch their books. As each author presents their book they would also donate to the collection, allowing Il Riccio to be fed with knowledge and stories. As the collection grows, Michele’s legacy of promoting reading to the people lives on. This project demonstrated how administration, architecture designers, local community and entrepreneurs could work together on a project that would benefit the future of the area.

Flor de Maíz is an intervention made alongside the inhabitants of the neighboirhood Toctiuco, students from the university of the Americas - UDLA, Quito, and URBANLAB Medellín/Berlin. The intervention was meant to improve the public space of this accidented topographic neighbourhood through a playground, facades intervantion, a viewpoint, and enhancing the stairs, an urban element that is located along the area but that unfortunately has been left aside by locals and became a hub of trash. 

The design was based on the name Toctiuco, a quechua word that means "corn flower" (flor de maíz), that incentives people to feel identified and give them a sense of appropiation. Both the design and construction of these urban intervantions have activated and improved the quality of use in the public space, a playground and a viewpoint. The intervantion was done in december 2019 and now we're entering into a new phase of urban intervention in Toctiuco, potentially to be done in september 2021. 

An inclusive 'space', attracts more people, interaction occurs, activity lasts making it a vibrant 'place' through which a city breathes. Artwork is a public place promenade in Mumbai representing people's cognitive expressions, behavioral and sensorial patterns offering city uniqueness, identity and a sense of 'place'. Our cities are built for their people and the experience such public spaces imprint in our minds lasts forever. There are memories of socio-cultural exchanges and associations that strengthen our nostalgic senses as we revisit such 'places'. We can never imagine a 'place' without its people.

‘Urban gardens’ are a plethora of socio-cultural, historical and environmental learning, that allows varied observant assert the sense of ‘the right to the city’ or reclaim an ‘urban commons’. One such urban garden uniquely hanging upon a historical water reservoir on Malabar Hill has been a source of solace and wonder for locals. Designed by Ulhas Ghapokar in 1881 and dedicated to Sir Pherozshah Mehta, it is narrated to have been built over one of Bombay’s main water reservoir to protect it from getting polluted, particularly by the nearby towers of silence. The photovoice method chosen here for representation would showcase how a diverse group of visitors or locals see their interests towards fostering ‘civic ecological sense’ and ‘social associations’ with the flora-fauna and history in the city. This could aim in conceptualizing future sustainable measures flexibly, placing ideas related to social associations, heritage and ecological concerns.

The temporary intervention was part of a practice lead research of the place of the Mapocho River in the Public Imaginary through its bridges, edges and the torrent. The Mapocho River was canalised in the late 19th C to mitigate the flooding, create public space and connect the north and south sides of Santiago de Chile via 9 meccano bridges. This was part of the Indendente Benjamin Vicuña Mackenna's modernisation of Santiago to make it "the Paris of South America". The canal was constructed posthumously 1888-1910 and the flooding torrent continues to be domesticated. Nature transitioning into culture via bridges. In the 1950s a particular bridge was constructed that crosses two flows, that of the river and that of the expressway constructed on its southern bank. The form of Racalamac bridge (a.k.a. Condell Bridge) is determined by these two periods of modernisation. It is a steep pedestrian bridge that is also an unlikely, popular and iconic public space of transition. The intervention traces the space created by this transition in a kinetic mapping of the inverted arc and the upstream wind that blows in the passage of the Mapcocho towards the Andes that is its source. A bronze builders plumbob was engraved with a quote of Benjamin Vicuña Mackenna "La Ciudad Enferma es Rescatable" (The sick city can be saved). 300 weighted casts were made and suspended by builders string from the bridge. The kinetic, temporary sculpture was installed for one day as part of 100 en 1 Día. From the edges of the river, the intervention appeared as a billowing, barely visible curtain ended by hovering plumbobs. From the bridge a vertigenous scene of parabolic curves are created over an invisible X,Y, Z grid and a horizontally surging torrent.    

Durante una excursión al Hospitalet nos dimos cuenta de cómo, para llegar a lugares como la biblioteca o el mercado, que quedan más alejadas de la vía principal, el parque cobra una vital importancia para los peatones o habitantes.

Por ello, pensamos en remarcar como el parque sirve como espacio de transición entre la vía y los lugares de uso público. Haciendo una escultura longitudinal que sirviera a modo de camino entre estos espacios.

Por desgracia la idea inicial se tuve que transladar al campus conectando un espacio de paso entre dos edificios con un espacio más retirado que hace a modo de pequeña plaza, para que este obtuviera más visibilidad.

Te flower Pots, as the title suggests, it is going to be placed around the flower to enhance and highlights flower and nature in the city.

Durante una excursión al Hospitalet nos dimos cuenta de cómo, para llegar a lugares como la biblioteca o el mercado, que quedan más alejadas de la vía principal, el parque cobra una vital importancia para los peatones o habitantes.

Por ello, pensamos en remarcar como el parque sirve como espacio de transición entre la vía y los lugares de uso público. Haciendo una escultura longitudinal que sirviera a modo de camino entre estos espacios.

Durante una excursión al Hospitalet nos dimos cuenta de cómo, para llegar a lugares como la biblioteca o el mercado, que quedan más alejadas de la vía principal, el parque cobra una vital importancia para los peatones o habitantes.

Por ello, pensamos en remarcar como el parque sirve como espacio de transición entre la vía y los lugares de uso público. Haciendo una escultura longitudinal que sirviera a modo de camino entre estos espacios.

Located in a vacant train station in Brussels, the aim of three interventions was to (re) construct the social, spatial, and material aspects of space with the means of historical imagination, drawing, and mapping.

Past, present & future tenses were used to investigate the changes throughout time and reflect upon the futurities in the public infrastructure.

The final outcome of the work was a short film ( https://youtu.be/Etqzf105UCM ).

The percussion instruments exist in multiple cultures, mainly in Brazil through the diverse musical styles. The sound installation is located at the Getúlio Vargas square, Florianopolis, Brazil. Around this square, there is a wide variety of important historic buildings of the city, and the location receives frequent visitors of all ages. Thus, the sound installation intends to increase the conviviality and appreciation of the cultural appropriation at all ages with percussive music, present in the local culture.

Our idea is based on proposing a sculpture that people can use as a landmark. The location we picked is an open space for the people in the community and by putting a sculpture that describes the bond of the people in L’Hospitalet, we want to change it from a passing point to a place to communicate and meet in. The blue colour, that signifies water, is used to remember the network of drains and canals that allowed the city to grow and have more people live in it further emphasising the special bond in the area.

El objectivo con este proyecto es aprovechar la plaza enfrente de la Biblioteca. En este caso, queremos trasladar parte de las actividades que se realizan en el interior, como el momento de lectura. Como bien explica a  Ayesha en "Biblioteca de Bellvitge" - en el exterior [...] hay mucho ruido y puede disraer a las personas que estudian dentro - por lo que, queremos proveer una área de descanso y de lectura donde los más pequeños puedan aprender que es una plaza ideal para aprender y escuchar. 

A kid from the neighborhood, Karima, describes Rambla Marina as a lovely place to go for a walk but has a problem with noise due to the traffic in the surrounding areas.

In order to fight that, our installation has the purpose to create vertical gardening. The main idea is to create something for people to have a place to plant and take care of some herbs and then later, use them to cook. That way, people can plant what they want and take care of this little installation that in the future will belong to them.

Our goal is to give more life to the place without compromise the place already existing and to create a union spirit inside the community.

The historic bench in terms of friendship that was labeled by Lucia, a kid from the neighbourhood, gives us an impression of meeting, friendship, the typical symbol that we use as a reference to meet somewhere. So this art work develops two lines that connect exactly in the middle of the bench, bringing to discussion a symbolic and abstract representation of two friends meeting and linking each other in the bench that brings friendship to a group of people. 

We will create a new playground area by inserting a game module composed by PVC tubes of different colours : the  orange will be the easier, the white the medium level and the blue the harder one. The game will consist on throwing the balls inside the tubes. The player that earns more points wins.
 

The problem about our site is, that at night it changes
into a not so nice enviroment for the park. So, our main
objective is trough our skulpture reincorporate the
feeling of security into that place.
Our proposal should work as an extension of the lamp park since it will be the first thing people notice when they walk there at night. Our simple figure surrouning the pole will bring calm and security
to the person.

La vecina y alumna de Bellvitge ‘Gemma’ nos explica su experiencia de como conoció a su novio, en un banco público, individual, del parque en ‘Rambla de la Marina’.

La instalacion propuesta, busca relacionar dos individuos en la distancia, mediante un tubo que comprenda el camino entre un banco y el siguiente.

Las personas podran hablar a través del orificio y el sonido llegará al otro lado con claridad. Buscando así el acercamiento no fisico de los participantes.

We decided to create a PVC sculpture in Passeig de Bellvitge. Using the basis of the Infinity Cube, we want to build a structure that can become part of the image of Bellvitge. The object is designed this way to attract and give the energy of a neverendingpassage that flows naturally in a linear way. Also, by using the color grey, the contrast between buildings, flooring and vegetation will make the object more visible to the wandering eyes of the neighbourhood.

Bellvitge is a zone full of diversity, activeness, youth and all kinds of people who share spaces on their daily basis. This spaces are part of their identity playing an important role in their comunity. We noticed that a grand majority of the gathering okaces needed a little mantainance and features that the neighbors could enjoy and make their common areas more pleasant, creating this tree-like sculptures that actually adapts to any environment in need of some shadow and art.

L'Hospitalet es una ciudad históricamente poblada por personas procedentes de distintos lugares, reuniendo una gran diversidad cultural y consecuentemente mostrando una falta de identidad clara. Nuestra propuesta busca materializar esta idea en un objeto que muestre esta dualidad de orden y caos, de variedad y a la vez sentimiento de pertenencia. Dentro de la zona de L´Hospitalet, el Passeig de Bellvitge refleja este mismo carácter ya que, si bien estaba pensado como un espacio tranquilo y de relajación, la percepción que hoy en día tienen los residentes es que se ha convertido en un lugar muy concurrido y ruidoso. En los alrededores del pasaje pueden localizarse dos espacios vinculados con el agua que pueden permitir la creación de un espacio de relajación a partir de la utilización de tuberías o conductos.

Banco

Gespa