ROOM 20 23, Intervention at ANNEX

I am exploring how the material relates to this place and in what ways it can be used. I am focused on the idea of connecting this work with Irish culture, nature and human culture, and also responding to the environmental transformation of planetary crises of our times. The modern design of this subterranean contrasts with the Victorian aesthetic of ANNEX building and embraces my interest towards modern architecture. By blending hay, provided by a Kilkenny’s organic farmer, with cold water I obtained a green pulp that I used as filler for the linear gap that divides the flat wall surface. This way of filling the gap can metaphorically reflect the idea of reclaiming Irish supremacy on its territory or nature reclaiming the man-made. The green material that erupts from the inside of the wall as a magmatic substance heals the wounds in the building. This can be also seen as an independent growth in an isolated and protected area of the building and I like to think that this subterranean which is left in an abandoned state which engages dust and fragments of decay reflects the health of our current society. The intense smell and lack in air circulation create a static and claustrophobic space where fungi, moulds and bacteria are growing on the thin green pulp stripe applied on the line along the wall, and, a magnified lens is provided to get closer to this autonomous world that lives and develops constantly. This room is connected in some way to the work called “The Mother” that I created in February and it is still alive.

My process is informed by Modernism, Minimalism, Brutalism, current design and architecture. I am also interested in the historical side of architecture. I think that colonialism influenced the identities, cultures and aesthetic of places and this created indifference to global issues and generated cultural alienation. Hans Haacke “Condensation Cube”, Le Coubusier Le Corbusier’s revolutionary architecture has affected my research since the beginning, especially Dom-ino House 1914-1915 and Unité d’Habitation 1952. The work of Nieuwenhuys Constant is very inspiring for my practice and the book Constant New Babylon is a good source of information. It is important for me to understand what the space is and how I can play with it. Public works of Richard Wilson, for example, “Turning the place over” and “20/50”. My practice is also informed by the studies of Donna Haraway concerned with Nature Culture, Stefano Mancuso studies related to plant intelligence, Clifford Geertz who have written about social and cultural theories, and the book “The Death of Nature” written by Carolyn Merchant.

Grass is a very fertile argument in which it is possible to connect ideological, historical, and contemporary aspects. The themes engaged in my research are the decay of our society, climate change, global migration, and diversity. This work led me to have a better understanding of the concept of human nature, nature and its power, and explores the relationship between the contemporary idea of nature and humans. In the process of comprehension the study of the idea of space and its use are fundamental. What is nature and what is our role in it?