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Cultural Integration
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Sequential Theatricality
Metaphorical Architecture
Voluntary Association and Aleatory Technique
THESIS EXPLORATION
RAISONNEUR PROCESSION
R AISONNEUR PROCESSIO N VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATION AND ALEATORY TECHNIQUE
| san pedro sula
The H onduran e con omy i s c o m p r i s e d o f e i g ht d o m i na nt s ector s th at in clu de the 18 0 m os t p roa c ti ve c om p a ni e s generatin g the core strong ho l d fo r e m p l oy m e nt i n Honduras. Howeve r, on l y s i x t e e n fa m i l i e s m o no p ol i ze these indu strie s, cre ating a c o nc e nt ra t i on of p owe r a t the u pper most leve ls of gover nm e nt a nd e c onom i c s t re ng th. This econ om ic division po s i ti o ns re s i d e nt s i n o ne of two groups: on one side is the m i no r i ty – up p e r c l a s s – a b out 1% of the population w ho c ontrol the c o unt r y ’s e c o no m i c production, me thods, an d p o l i t i c s a nd re p re s e nt t he s tate. Contra sting the up p e r c l a s s a re 8 0% of t he populatio n w ho live un d e r p oor or e x t re m e l y p oor e conomi c conditions - t he p e o p l e . S i nc e 2009 a desponde n t spirit h as take n hol d o f the H o nd ura n p e op l e af ter the eve nts that fol l owe d the d e p o s i t i on o f the president e le ct. Througho ut Hon du ran cul ture , a tra d i ti o n o f m a r k m a ki ng per sists. The e arly Maya n s t e l a s re c ord e d t he e a r l i e s t belief syste m s of th e ir c i vi l i z a t i on. I n c o nt e m p ora r y c ulture, th is m ark makin g i s re p re s e nt e d a t a l l p o s i t o ns o f s ocial strata: th e g ove r nm e nt ’s mark i nc l ud e s propaga nda, slogans, and g ove r nm e nta l i ns ti t ut i ons ; t he people’s mark in clu de u nre s t , p rote s ts , c r i m e , s i g ns , a nd painted graffiti. Howeve r, a d i a l e c t i c i s a p p a re nt t ha t h ighlights th e hy pocritical p o s i t i on o f e a c h g ro up : t he governme n t can use paint o n the w a l l s [p ro p a g a nd a + s logans] to colle ct the pe o p l e’s vo t e , howeve r, p a i nt on a w all speaking against vio l e nc e a nd c r i m e , i nj us ti c e a nd i nequalit y is constantly per s e c ut e d .
santa rosa de copan
Barrio 18 MS - 13
18
Mara 61
tegucigalpa
s ta te d ep a r tments
gang territory 0-20 21-50 51-100 101-269
homicides per 100,000 persons
T h e St e la M ay a
nat i o nal + c ul t ural he r i t age s ym b o l o f p owe r The ste la is a n imp o r ta nt na tio na l a nd c ultura l he r ita g e e le me nt to H o nd ura s. A s tel a was us ed as a to o l b y the M a ya ns to te ll sto r ie s. H oweve r, the sto r y to ld wa s a l wa y s fro m the pers pecti ve o f the o ne in p owe r, ty p ic a ll y the e mp e ro r a nd /o r the p r ie st.
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Honduran culture is be st e x p re s s e d thro ug h d i a l og ue s between the pe ople of the c o unt r y a nd t he c o nt e m p ora r y manner of e xpre ssion i nc l ud i ng g a ng m a r k- m a ki ng , graf fi ti stre e t ar t, an d May a n c a r vi ng s . T he s e m e thod s of e x pressio n by th e pe ople of H o nd ura s re s ul t i n a n o p e n e x pressio n of fru stration . H ond ura s i s w i d e l y know n for i ts h igh crim e rate s. I n te rnat i ona l l y - s i nc e 2011 - H o nd ura s h as acqu ire d the nam e o f “ M urd e r Ca p i ta l ” . Cr i m e c oncentrate s arou nd th e t hre e l a rg e s t c i t i e s , Te g uc i g a l p a , S an P edro, and Copan R u i na s , a nd i s us ua l l y a ttr i b ute d t o the conc e ntra te d pre se n c e of g a ng s w i t hi n t he s e c i t i e s .
1947-1951 Independence Day Civic Processions Historic Distric
F E S T I V A L C U LT U R E CIVIC PROCESSIONS
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CONTEMPORARY Independence Day Civic Processions Historic Distric
CONTEMPORARY Holy Week Civic Processions Comayagua + Central Plaza
CONTEMPORARY Christmas Festivities Presidential House + Central Plaza
Official Name: Republica de Honduras Capital: Tegucigalpa, MDC Territorial Extention: 112,492 km2 Form of Government: “Democratic” Constitutional Republic Population: 8.630,890 habitantes (2015) [Instituto Nacional de Estadistica] Density: 76 hab / Km2 Language: Spanish Currency: Lempira
This thesis investigation intends to enable and encourage a dialogue to take place between these two entities. This is achieved through a series of ‘Minor Architecture’ inter ventions that enable Hondurans to move from places of alienation to the place of power within the city. While the main pageantries that take place within Tegucigalpa are those that celebrate the state or religious power, I intend to design a procession through the city that celebrates the citizens, resulting in a series of minor metaphorical architecture inter ventions for the procession of, for, and by the people.
MANIFESTO Nothing is respected. Constitution: desecrated – laws: broken – ever ything politicized. Nothing changes. The historic district – a catastrophic comic book of crime. Its charming cobbled streets – savagely buried in asphalt against the Truer yesterday. The sidewalk – narrow and battered – a pedestrian trap. The pedestrian – not respected. Crossing the s treet – an odyssey. We are without order. We are without security. Without urban planning. Without urbanity. The emblematic – destroyed. Infallible sava ges we are. So, what? We drop cheap and easy by knife or gunpowder; anywhere, anytime. Newspapers bleed morbidly with murders, violence, and crime – showcasing corpses in sacks that no longer shock. Briber y is pay, for one more breath. Terror invades and restrains. We live in constant fright of the law and the most power ful – the base. Just like savages, we per form. Bystanders of our own demise.
Spectator, Can’t you see? Inculture is our pop culture. Architecture – its apparatus – The Tool. Operating safely within the margins. Plotting daily interactions. Shaping and constructing behaviors. Following our ever y movement. Framing us with its body. Dictating what is done – what has been done – what could be done. Choreographing experiences. But, Where is the dialogue between us? The script between the apparatus and the spectator? Tool, Say something. Do something. Speak against the pop culture. Mark cultural transformations. Modify, change, dissent. Challenge contemporar y patterns and practices. Stimulate the bystander. Rewrite relations. Stage experiences. Present oppor tunities. Engage The Savage. React! Respond! Devise! Affect and be affected! Be more than real, Be less than true… Per form.
proc essi on through the c i ty, i s ex pl ored through the l ens of histor ical ar r ivals and pageantr y. Using the c i ty as a si gni fi er of the c i ti zenr y re sul ts i n a hi stori c al , timeless methodology of moving people through the c i ty spac es as an ac t of per formanc e. These same acts of move ment and procession E N T R Y [ G AT E ]
SCRIM BOOTHS [ NOURISHMENT ]
R U I N S “ P R O J E C T I V E WA L L S ” [ H A L L O F R E V E L AT I O N S ]
In A l l an Pl attus’ semi nal ar ti c l e, ‘ E mbl ems of the Ci ty ’ , the theatr icality of the city, and the
are c ommonl y seen i n festi val c ul tures and c i vi c proc essi ons associated with religious holidays or c i vi c c el ebrati ons of memori al . Fur thermore, Pl attus outl i nes typologies which are explored herein to c oordi nate and understand the publ i c spac es needed to ena ble and enhance such a procession. To that end, the spac es that present and represent the peopl e include typologies such as the gate, spac es of nouri shment (physi c al and emoti onal ), spac es for collective action, and spaces for c ol l ec ti ve memor y and narrati ves.
Th e a trica lity + Fe st iv a l Cu lt u re within
G AT E [ E N T RY ]
[Me taphorical] Arch ite cture
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pageantr y M I N O R p ro c essi o n a l P E R FO R M AT I V E spec tac le inf o r m ative p er fo r m a n c e c ivic pu blic A RC H I T EC T U R E event
“m om en t s” N O D E S O F P U N C T U AT I O N [ CO N T I N U O U S CO L L EC T I V E M E M O RY ]
The Street THE PLAZA [ G A L L E R Y O F N A R R AT I V E S ]
the pro gram th e p ro ces s io n
P RO CE SSION MAP CAT E DR A L DE T EG UC IG A L PA
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PO RTA L
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| THE RU IN S
PA RQU E C E N T R A L
P UENTE + RIO CHO LUTECA M O M E N TO
| CUA RTO
MOMENTO | SEGUNDO CE RRO JUA N A L A I NE Z M OM ENTO
M O M E N TO
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SEXTO
| DECIMO-OCTAVO
| CENTRO CIVICO -G UBERNAMENTA L |
| LA
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| THE TUN N|ETH L| E TUNNEL| T hi s p ro c e ssi o n star ts at the c i ty ’s cTentral park c hariststhate the oldecity st, ’smost h istor ically v aluisable blict, space w ith in th e city. T he g a te h i s proce ssiwhi on st central park which the pu o ldes mo s t his to rically valuable wi t hi n t he p a rk m oves you i nto a tunnel dii crec tl y under pe de str ian all, cre atin gthe an park ax ial moves re lationyo shuipinto be twe e n th e directly cath e dra l a nd “ the pu bl space w i thth in ethe city. Thehgate within a tunnel under rui ns” a d j a ce nt t o the ri ver. Onc e underground i n an the htu n n ecreating l, space san areaxial compose d by proce ssion of rooms [ stitch and e s] w“the h e re sto es a nd th e pe de stri all, relatio ns a hip between the cathedral ruinris” na rra t i ve s a re e xchanged between peopl e noft to varithous backgrou ds, sociound e con position s, an d are racecos.mpo Th es ed storby ie satold w ith i n th es e adj ace e ri ver. Once nundergro inomic the tunnel, s paces pro ces sion st i t che s a re p ro j e c ted at the end of of therooms tunnel[ sti [thread] a se rsie of proje w alls [h all exchanged of reve lation s] le adinpeo g uple p too fthvariou e e xi t so f the tch e s ] in where tosries and ctive narratives are between t unne l a nd sub se quent entr y i nto thebackgrou rui ns. n ds, socio eco no mic po s itio ns , and races . The s to ries to ld within thes e s titches a re projected at the end of the tunnel [thread] in a series of projective walls [hall o f revelatio n s] l e adi n g u p to th e exit o f the tunnel and s ubs equent entr y into the ruins .
“Evening comes, sullen, opaque, half dead. My house has no garden, no sunlight, no shade in the patio, nor voices at the corridor. I'm terribly hurt by the muteness of the blinds and all that silence drowns me. Here, I am just me. There, I turn into something else. I don't know what, but I do.”
a l u a ble u n d er ruin s” ces s i on v a r io u s hes are
10’
12’
32’
EXIT SCRIM R
ENTRY
The Scrim within The Booth
SCRIM M BOOTHS O
TUNNEL HALLS
HALL OF REVELATIONS
“HALL OF REVELATIONS” “There is no poetry anywhere here. Silence has taken possession of my mouth once again.”
projective walls
10’
booths
tunnel
| T HE RU INS |
T h e ru i n s at the end o f the tunnel mark the ďŹ rs t mo ment o r plat fo rm as a no de o f punc t u at ion w i th i n th e city [the fo lds ]. Overall, there are a s eries o f eighteen fo lds - mo m en t s of pu n ctu ati on - repres entative o f Ho nduras’ eighteen s tates as a manner to pre sen t an d re pre se n t ever yo ne in the co untr y.
| T H E RU I N S |
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| T HE M OM E|NTS TH E| M O M E N TS | The s e m om e nt s act as th e pe opl e s’T hste e se l as.mome In th n ts i s act us e, as they theare peointeractive ples’ s telass.paces I n this free us o e,f they are interactive s paces free of p rog ra m or i nt e nde d u se , an d ow nprogram e d [ appropri or i ate n te nd]ded by us the e, Ho and nduran ownedco[appro mmunity priated] as they by the Ho nduran co mmunity as they m ove a l ong t he proce ssi on al marchmove of thal e on ci ty. g thTeh i spro beco ces smes io nalthen march an ooppo f the r tunity city. This fo r the beco mes then an o ppo r tunity fo r t h e c i t ize nr y t o c ha nge th e stor y ; to al l ow ci tithzee npe r y opl to echto ante gell their the s to s to r y;ries to –allow to have the apeo vo ple ice –toand tell to their s to ries – to have a vo ice – and t o b e he a rd t hroug h th e mark maki n g on be th h eeard i r ste thl a. rou gh the mark making o n their s tela.
| T HE PL AZA | The p roc e s s ion c ul mi n ate s at th e pl az a [ th e l i n i n g] w h ich acts a s a forum for t h e pe opl e . T h e pl az a i s a se ri e s of terracing a nd i nt e ra c t i ve s pace s [ f re e /programmabl e space s] fo r the p e op l e t o a p p ropri ate . It al so h ou se s th e “G aller y o f N a rra t i ve s” w hic h i s si mi l ar to th e “Hal l of N arrati ve s” in its t y p ol og y, b ut d iffe rs i n th e stori e s i t pre se n ts. T h e stories at t he “ H a ll of N a rrati ve s” wou l d be gath e re d th rou gh s o cial m e d ia – op e n t o anyon e , any w h e re i n th e cou n tr y.
The c i ty – and these po c kets o f spac es nestl ed wi thi n i t – bec o mes no t o nl y the setti ng and stage f o r the pro c essi o n [per f o rmanc e] to take pl ac e, but ,ac ts as a metapho ri c al arc hi tec ture – an i nf o rmant o f the pro c essi o n [per f o rmanc e] thro ugh i ts presentati o n and representati o n o f i t, a theater o f di al o gue between the peo pl e and power.
| THE PLAZA|
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