Hey there! It's been quite a while since I posted an entry to this blog.
So much so that I am now graduated from architecture. I would like to tell you about my thesis.

I presented a dissertation on the possibilities of installation art as a medium for social experimentation. This research explored the relevance of installation art, site-specific art and other related strategies, in contemporary architectural practice. I argue for the need of tools to address social conditions in space, and the potential of introducing these tools from art.

The dissertation is structured in three parts. First, I examine philosophical views of space as a social phenomenon, and compare them to the architectural conception of space set forth during Modernism. This evidences the absence of a profound understanding of the social dimension of space in architectural strategies and mechanisms.

The second part consists of an extensive analysis of spatial manifestations in art, guided by the development of installation art. Strategies such as environments, Land Art, Minimalism and public sculpture are studied. I also ponder on concepts such as site-specificity, social sculpture and relational art. Through this analysis, I determine the applicability of these manifestations as social catalysts, from an architectural standpoint.

In the third part, I develop this hypothesis with a deeper study of two concrete examples. I discuss the social, architectural and aesthetic implications of two urban interventions created in Mexico within the last decade. These cases allow me to attest the possibility of integrating installation art to architecture in order to examine and confront specific social conditions pertaining a given site.

Hey there! It's been quite a while, so I figured I should talk about what I was up to last semester. I had no studio. Instead, I had electives, and did an internship (of sorts) at UNAM's new museum of contemporary art. The electives I took were Philosophy and Architecture, Urban Renewal, Recycling... View full entry

Hey! I know I've been away for quite a while. I wanted to post about this great congress we had last week. I'll write about my life and school further on... There was this congress last week, organised by this magazine called Arquine (www.arquine.com), which is quite good and is distributed in... View full entry

Hey there! I've been gone for a while, but I wanted to share with you these pics I took today. As part of a seminar/workshop about sustainability and building with bamboo, three bamboo paraboloids were built at the main courtyard (these will be used for a project in Veracruz, near the Gulf of... View full entry

Hi there! Ok, I have a confession to make... I have no studio this semester. I know, I know, how could I commit such a crime, how is it possible to have a semester without studio, etc. The fact is that I have been doing great in the studios for 3 years now, but not that great in the other... View full entry

Hey there! Ok so september 15 is the anniversary of Independece here in Mexico, so we have a weekend off!! I'm thinking of going to the beach, let's see what comes up... I would like to share with you what I did this summer. This last summer I went to the AA Summer School. It was really awesome... View full entry

Here you go, some photos of UNAM and the Faculty of Architecture. Central Library: The Rector's building: Central Esplanade: Faculty of Science: Central Library again: Faculty of Architecture: View full entry

Hello there! As this is my first entry, I should start from the beginning. I'm Gabriel, 22, studying 4th year of architecture at the Faculty of Architecture, UNAM, Mexico City. I think it is quite a good school, although it could use some more resources (there are about 600 students in each year... View full entry