Material Cultures / Culturas Materiales

2018
Exhibited at Galería José Luis Benlliure, UNAM, Mexico City
In Collaboration with Sandra Vivanco, Marcela Delgado, Elena Tudela, Diego Ricalde, and the CCA/UNAM Material Cultures studio

These speculative wall prototypes were produced in a 10-day joint workshop collaboration between architecture students at California College of the Arts and the School of Architecture at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in Mexico City. Adam Marcus and Sandra Vivanco of CCA collaborated with UNAM faculty Elena Tudela (Oficinia de Resiliencia Urbana), Marcela Delgado, Mexico City architect Diego Ricalde (Estudio MMX), 11 CCA students, and 19 UNAM students to design and construct three large-scale installations that challenge the architectural typology of the wall. The projects employ everyday materials—loteria playing cards, corn husks, and malla mesh used for shopping bags—to explore how walls, typically devices of separation, can take on new capacities for connecting and engaging people. The work builds upon architectural, material, historical, and cultural research conducted by both the UNAM and CCA students prior to the workshop. The installations were installed in the Galería José Luis Benlliure and presented at an open-house event at the conclusion of the course.