Enlace Arquitectura + Ciudad Laboratorio

The intertwined histories of the diverse neighborhoods of La Palomera, Colinas de Bello Monte, and El Calvario in Caracas demonstrate the potential for new democratic urban processes. They do so by creating platforms that emerge from, and in favor of, plurality and a mixture of voices. In the gallery, each neighborhood is represented by a modeled stage. The microprocesses, or activities, that occur in each community are projected on these stages and certain groups of people perform across all three scenes, making new connections between the communities. Yellow figures represent culture and traditions. Local culinary flavors are represented in brown. Vibrant greens denote gardening, while dark green signals processes of waste collection. Arts and cultural activities, such as celebrations, including dance and music, are shown in blue; concerts and performances in red; and murals and projections in purple. Each celebration, walk, performance, and construction project is part of a prolonged rehearsal that awakens potential.

The project defines alternative forms of urban production that exist outside the interests of capital, and empower urban sectors deeply rooted in the city but considered lesser, subordinate, or other, such as barrios. Creating connection between these urban spaces requires the expansion of community mental maps—those that typically begin with the familiar and expand through active city exploration help to overcome the city’s fragmentation. Communities engage in an organic process that promotes discovery, recognition, and the creation of networks. They draw—through physical presence and dialogue—over the traces of what already exists. In this way, communities become hybrids—synthesizing local knowledge and borrowed experiences.

Observing an affinity between the distinct community structures that exist in both Caracas and Chicago, this project bridges cross-cultural connections between disparate parts of a city. A video provides additional context for the project broadly and shows scenes from the three sites in Caracas. A map of Chicago is overlayed with a constellation of points in Caracas, encouraging visitors to explore and make connections between neighborhoods they may be unfamiliar with. This opportunity is not unique to Caracas or Chicago but is possible anywhere people move freely and are interested in engaging a comprehensive understanding of their city.