When we were teens and went to the beach with friends, especially at the peak of August, we used bright distinguishable towels we could easily spot from the water.
However, what would you imagine happens when everyone does the same? In fact, when everyone at the beach happen to own the same red towel?
This is an experiment that served as the backdrop for artist @maiderlopez.art installation/action Playa, back in 2005. (you can see the images in person at Ukitu, her exhibition at Kubo @kutxafundazioa in Donosti.)
"Playa" transformed the gorgeous Itzurun beach giving a daily human activity (going to the beach) a scale that perfectly suited the setting (with the Flysch as the backdrop.)
It also created an interesting tension...an invisible barrier similar to the ones that make us wonder whether we belong as we step into private / exclusive spaces that have not been planned for us.
How does it do this? The towels were handed out up until a certain time and anyone who arrived afterwards, with their own towel, would notice they stood out.
See more:
https://maiderlopez.com/en/portfolio/playa/
I am choosing to talk about this because as architects and designers, this is a threshold we are not always aware of , but we should, because the built environment we create is shaping the minds of the people who inhabit it ... And that is a big responsibility
I plan to share other works in separate posts (stay tuned). I might be biased but I thought it was a brilliant exhibition full of insightful works.
Donostian bazaudete, gomendatzen dizuet erderaz edo ta euskeraz bisita gidatuak noiz diren begiratzea zeren historia politak entzungo dituzue
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