The work shown in this book started in 2012, after 5 years of working in architecture offices and going through a love & hate relationship with the profession, realizing how much work and time needs to be invested in order for a project to come to fruition. Out of this frustration, emerged the need to design projects that would not be realized, therefore, giving free range to a more conceptual speculative thought, and asking a set of completely different questions.
Some of the ideas explore themes like: extreme simplification to achieve self-sufficiency, exaggeration of natural resources to expose our ways of extraction and consumption, repurposing abandoned infrastructure for basic needs, etc. Furthermore, other explorations tackle personal memory, from domestic every-day objects (70Õs industrial design) to architecture icons in Venezuela, NYC, and Miami, scrutinizing, synthesizing, remixing, and re-inhabiting them as a strategy to keep the past present.
On the bookÕs texts, essential architecture and philosophy essays from selected renowned writers have been ÒprocessedÓ (a la Bryon Gysin + William Burroughs Òcut-upÓ method) remixing its content and generating unexpected insights. Rem Koolhaas ÔJunk SpaceÕ, Le CorbusierÕs ÔTowards a new architectureÕ, Walter BenjaminÕs ÔDestructive CharactersÕ and other authorÕs thoughts have been deconstructed and re-assembled as subconscious accidental poetry, shedding some light on interesting current and (probably) future issues.
Marcelo Ertorteguy (Born in Venezuela in 1977) graduated with honors from Universidad Central de VenezuelaÕs School of Architecture and Columbia UniveristyÕs GSAPP. Founded the art and architecture practice Stereotank, together with partner Sara Valente. Collaborated for several years with Grimshaw Architects and LOT-EK in NYC. Currently lives in Miami, Fl. teaching at Florida International University School of Architecture.