Ex Figura: Time Expansion

“In a moment the earth will cover us all. Then the earth too will change, and then further successive changes to infinity. One reflecting on these waves of change and transformation, and the speed of their flow, will hold all mortal things in contempt.” Marcus Aurelius

There is a traditional connection between architecture and timelessness. The rigidity and robustness of the materials seem to induce the idea that the built volumes can stand through time, beyond human longevity. Their resilience transforms architecture into an historical archive, evoking memories from distant moments, successively registering moments into a single space. It has allowed people to send messages through time, to render their existences eternal and to become a beacon of their accomplishments.

“Torre da Saudade” was a conceptual project for a visitor center, located in Monsaraz, Portugal, a place where different cultures through history have built and rebuilt on top of the same site, from prehistoric, to medieval ages and actuality. Due to this complexity, the work was set up as an exercise of articulation and curation of that historical expanse. 

In that place, every stone is embedded with a memory, turning the village into a chronological record, where various stories are displayed in its walls, roads and buildings. Therefore, instead of adding new volumes to the site, the project took an alternative approach, working only with the local materials from the site and displacing them into other locations, so that the memory of Monsaraz could be presented in a valuable and meaningful way. In the end, only the landscape was altered, transporting ground and stones into positions that could allow visitors to have a clear view over the village and its surroundings. 

Here, architecture was intended as a messenger, exhibiting all the local tales and traditions - setting them once more in the enduring materials that could last through many more generations. More than its traditional program, the design sought to carry an historical reading of the context, adding new layers of meaning to the materials and the spaces they generated. 

The project itself was developed around the idea of “saudade”, a portuguese emotion that conveys the melancholic state of longing for something that is missing, switching between the joy of the memory and the despair of never filling that same void left by it. The proposed circulation began with an awareness of the present, excavating and reshaping the site, with the newly created wide and empty spaces representing the unavoidable realization that something is missing. At the same time, it is followed by an added sense of hope that realizes that what is gone has in fact moved into a different place - into a new position that can change the perspective of the entire context.

The project was based on a path that circles around the site, with a series of particular points that better tell the story of Monsaraz. It was designed following the same principle of “saudade”, where the initial lower space detached the visitors from reality - making it harder to realize what was around, plunging them into a state of introspection. As people slowly moved through the pavement, they learned about Monsaraz through informative inscriptions on the walls that sporadically framed the view. The village could be seen from new vantage points, reminding that not all is lost and stressing the value of what is left. “Saudade” longs for something to return, something that fills the emptiness and walking through the new path is the representation of that emotional journey - one that, in the end, led to a stairway, casted out of the excavated ground and rising to a height of 20 meters

From the top, there was a renewed sense of joy: the landscape is seen from a higher perspective, the local history was displayed from a different angle and people could see how the place has gone through time, how the past has shaped the site and how tomorrow will continue to modify this space.

Not only the materials are used to stand through time but also to shape space and how that time is perceived. Beyond the resistance of the forms that defines space, its interpretation always falls back to an individual approach. It is how each person perceives every part of the space and its content is interpreted that ultimately defines architecture. Being able to span through long periods makes it possible for multiple people in different cultural moments to have their own perception, although it remains a product of a very individual scope. Like a book being read in distinctive moments, where each experience will create a new response and, even possibly, a dramatically alternative take on the whole subject. 

Architecture allows time to be perceived in a fluid manner. Its societal influence gives it layers upon layers of connotation, making it possible to see time in a seemingly relative perspective, where each human impression is an ephemeral experience, a product of a specific position and moment. 

“The present is like a knife’s edge. It doesn’t really exist, it’s so fleeting.” Daniel Arsham

Given that architecture can influence how time is perceived, it can also give the impression of speeding it up. It is able to introduce urgency in its experience by removing the materials’ perpetuity from the equation. As such, the singular and unrepeatable individual approach can be made obvious and the way space is interpreted may equally be a thing of the moment.

Approaching architecture from that point of view, where all things about it are unique and exclusive, creates the opportunity for other materials to come into consideration when designing space. Once standing through time is not a constraint anymore, materials similarly no longer need the solidity and resistance they once did. Anything can be used when creating volumes and environments, as the entire use of architecture doesn’t require more than a brief moment to be perceived.

“Dancing Columns” was a temporary installation in the gardens of Versailles. Lasting for two days, the Potager du Roi in Versailles was intended as a scenographic background - one that could attract and interact with everyone in the vicinity. Inspired by the traditional symbolism of the local landscape design, the installation was envisioned to create an identical singular experience for the students and visitors. It took as reference the already present elements, such as the fountains and water mirrors, and reinterpreted them for this specific event.

The inherent beauty of these natural elements is particularly related to the fact that they are ever-changing. There isn’t a circumstance that repeats itself - the water always flows in a distinctive way, with the wind that might shape its course and the light that can dramatically alter its tone. Its constant transformation generates an undeniable appeal, as, to each person in their own position will correspond an exclusive image. Moreover, the speed at which these moments disappear render the experience much more intense, immersing the viewer in a situation that will not last more than a few seconds.

“Dancing Columns” was the product of this logic, presenting a total of eight pillars that moved along with the wind. Similar to the fountain water jet in the center of the “Potager du Roi”, the objects embodied the motion of every natural element around and established an ephemeral structure that never stopped moving.

The skin of the columns, made of a very light plastic, was stretched and lifted by 0.5m3 of helium. The softness and malleability of all the materials made it even more sensitive to weather conditions - like every other element in the garden. For every gust of wind, the columns would move in a particular direction and, located among the diverse vegetation of the site, each one of them would respond differently at a given time. Depending on the humidity of the air, everything would move slower and the temperature would also affect the resistance of the helium that held the column upwards.  

Architecture here was thought of as an interactive experience, with each person developing a singular relationship with a column. Every frame of time was unique, each required the public to position itself according to the column. Even its transparency played a particular role in the performance, enhancing the sunlight to create unique shades of color and materiality - sometimes more transparent, others more opaque. Time was compressed to the fraction of a second, so that the column appeared unique at every instant.

For the limited presence of the installation, the personal and social experience of the students and visitors became the subject of the “Dancing Columns’” design. The project was developed for a quick first response. It was fundamental to create objects that were as dynamic as possible, to always engage with visitors for the short period of its display. At that speed, the reaction was meant to be emotional, rather than logical - people were expected to react intuitively to the installation, looking for new angles to see them, moving along with the columns, or even dancing with them.  

Architecture made evident how personal and unique the interpretation of space is. The objective of “Dancing Columns” was that every experience, unlikely to be repeated, could be felt as a singular moment in time. The design of the project became a product of consumption, something intended to be experienced at a higher rate, looking for a strong first reaction and quickly be put away or replaced with a new experience. It played on the urgency of its existence to further motivate people to interact with it - something like an event to experience or an object to collect.

In these ephemeral objects there were no messages to be carried into the future, no memories to remain on display but instead a feeling to be created and remain as a recollection that can only be afterwards described by images or words - a story that only someone who experienced it can describe.