the workshop in tlaxco

Someone say that we will never stop to learn. It is totally true. And I would say more: it is incredibly beautiful to keep learning, and even more when it is about my great passion, architecture. I had experienced the atmosphere of living and share 5 great days in the middle of the Rancho El Pardo’s wood. A place where Alejandra, Paco, Humberto and more people, daily work hard to preserve the beauty of the wood, but also they work for an invaluable mission: teaching the way to live properly and harmoniously with the nature. We learnt how to build a green roof, a timber structure, a brick vault, a straw roof and even more. But the most important thing is that believing in a dream is possible, and we have to keep going forward to make it possible. Thanks to all of you who made those 5 days an incredible adventure. More info: Project San Isidro  

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the invitation

Every-one is invited to attend and of course, to participate to the lecture that I am giving  the 17th of May for the Asociación de Egresados del Politécnico Nacional de Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca. More details of the event are shown on the down poster. Looking forward to seeing you. All the best.

the wild Pinotepa

Traveling and meeting new great people. I was invited by a friend of mine , Luis, to visit his place, Pinotepa. To me it was a great chance to visit a place that I had just heard  about, because of two bizarre things. The first one is about the myth of the Costa Chica, where during their traditional dance, women and men talks each other by bad words. The second one, is about the black people who live here since long time ago and speak with a Cuban accent. We were driving with a 4×4 car on a huge beach to a lagoon where alligators live there, between mangrove roots. Because of an engine problem, our car was off, we wait like 5 hours in the sun waiting for a tractor which rescued us, but we spent the time talking about the place traditions, like fighting cocks, and also about some Mixtec ruins, where people concentrated in plundering them for selling, but also you can find a concrete columns inlaid with the precious finds.

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the Mixteca

During the last week of March (2012), in collaboration with the architect Ramon Aguirre Morales, we gave a workshop about bahareque, in Nochixtlan (check here). Previously we had severals visits to the village, where we analyze the vernacular architecture, most of it built with adobes or stones walls. One of these great buildings is the one I show here. It is an abandoned flour mill. It consists of a three stories building, with adobe walls and wooden floor. The other one is an adobe building with palm roof. This is a vernacular roof, where is shown the intrinsic beauty of an handicraft building.

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the lecture

26 of March, 2012. The famous Mexican architect Teodoro Gonzalez de Leon gave a conference in the Arts Center of San Agustin Etla, Oaxaca. Three more artist and architects took part into the discussion table, Miquel Adria, Jan Hendrix and Miguel Cervantes, talking about the Teodors’s way to approach his design process. They discuss about the key role of the hand drawings and models, a way to explore ideas, to criticize important design decisions. Teodoro explained that to him there is not national style, but indeed a local one, and he specified that the architectural artifact is the addition of: TIME + PLACE + CLIENT. Good lesson.

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the excursion

Another of the uncountable secrets of Oaxaca. Here we were visiting the Mixteca, a region of Oaxaca. Just if you have a proper guide you can get here. All of sudden the street finish. Behind us just a white dust cloud. At each side earth of various colors: red, white and purple. Once arrived to the guide’s house, we had a great breakfast with titaco (tortilla with spicy sauce). Then, in quick succession we turned astonished with the gorgeous the panoramas, caves and the incredible vernacular architectures. Before getting back to the city, we enjoyed a delicious pozole mixteco for lunch (not for veggie people). ENJOY!!!

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the vegetable garden

I share with you some pictures of my bio-intensive vegetable garden. It is a really great experience to see growing up your “food”. First of all you got onlooker of this miracle of how the Earth is so rich and generous in giving us these gifts. Secondly it is so gratifying to harvest your vegetables, cause they did not needed at all NO CHEMICAL products, they are real vegetables, with a REAL GREEN color. So, don’t be afraid, you can also be a witness of this spectacular experience. Be patient and Enjoy!

“Le Jardin Planétaire est une manière de considérer l’écologie en intégrant l’homme –le jardinier- dans le moindre de ses espaces. La philosophie qui le dirige emprunte directement au Jardin en Mouvement : « Faire le plus possible avec, le moins possible contre ». La finalité du Jardin Planétaire consiste à chercher comment exploiter la diversité sans la détruire. Comment continuer à faire fonctionner la « machine » planète, faire vivre le jardin, donc le jardinier.”

Le jardin Planétaire, Gilles Clément

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