Digestive devices for architectural pedagogies: pervasive landscape experiences using red cabbage dye near Segura River (Murcia)

Abstract

Architects have traditionally worked our proposals for both city and landscape inspired by the "genius loci", starting with an abstract idea, form or material. Projects were mainly based on the recognition of the physical, static and mainly visual nature of reality. Nevertheless, it seems to us that architecture education needs to orientate towards other kind of raw materials, being aware of environmental or climatic indicators, like those exposed by artist Christelle Gramaglia or architect Philippe Rahm, in order to assume new kind of responsibilities when facing ecological concerns. It also seems that life activities (i.e. walking, becoming sick, falling in love) are tiny throbbing pieces of reality that can be understood as if they were hooked from one end to the following start point. Trying to put in relation both families of concerns, we essayed experimental methods for architectural education during the second Semester of 2012, producing devices to perform precise interventions for an experience that would become real: a day-gift for a couple of tourists near the river side walk in Murcia's orchard, working in collaboration with Spanish collective HuertaBizarra. As the natural day can be divided into little time periods, some of the assignments for the students would be referred to the awakening or the twilight, relax or sport, "siesta" or playtime, breakfast or tea time. Cartographies, models and tests were developed. This paper refers to some of these assignments, related to the recognition of changing chromatic properties of red cabbage in contact with other alkaline or acidic materials, capitalizing an amazing collection of experiences, at the same time sensitive with environment.