Baixa-mar, espelhos do céu

We present you a new project by Iván Juárez. Our hat tip for him! The performance was conducted in Itaparica, a fishermen's island with saveiros, canoes and sailboats landscape, where its inhabitants have a queen: Iemanjá, the lady of the waters, the mermaid of the five names, powerful orixá of Candomblé. This is an island where the landscape is associated with the literature of Jorge Amado, Dorival Caymmi lyrics and images of Pierre Verger.

Baixa-mar, espelhos do ciél. Photography courtesy © X-STUDIO, Iván Juárez.

Located in front of the city of Salvador, in the center of the most coastal maritime entry in the state of Bahia in Brazil, Baia de Todos os Santos. Itaparica Island is closely related to the cycle of the sea, where the bond of population is related with water cycle. The island of Itaparica offers an unparalleled natural setting, where each day the coastal landscape is constantly changing from the natural phenomenon of the tide, associated with the lunar cycle.

The intervention Baixa-sea espelhos do Ciel, project conducted by Iván Juárez with the support of Sacatar Foundation, is a dialogue with nature from the cycle of transformation of the sea. Sundry scenarios executed on the dune at low tide, are proposed as private places or small oasis to watch the shifting landscape offered by the island from the coast: the horizon of the bay, the profiles of the islands of Maré and Dos Frades and the profile of the city of Salvador. We can watch the fishermen in their boats and clam harvesters along the dune. But above all, watch the natural spectacle offered by the sea during the day with the movement of the tide. At dusk, when the tide goes up, the dune and its scenarios disappear under the sea. Next day, with the low tide, the small oasis are rediscovered, but this time like mirrors in the sky.

Read less

View more images

Metalocus recommends

Almazara Acesur by Mollinedo Arquitectura. Photograph by Jesús Granada

An integrated and humanized landscape. Almazara Acesur by Mollinedo Arquitectura

Gimnasio de escalada Spluga por Enrico Scaramellini. Fotografía por Marcello Mariana

Prepare to climb. Spluga climbing gym by Enrico Scaramellini

KOI Building by Ortiz Leon Arquitectos. Photograph by David Frutos

A wavy glass skin. KOI Building by Ortiz Leon Arquitectos

More information

IVAN JUÁREZ

Ivan Juarez, architect, landscape architect and artist. He is a member of the National System of Art Creators through the Mexican National Fund for Culture and the Arts (FONCA). He is founder of x-studio in Mexico, after acting as co-director at ex-studio in Barcelona. His projects explore the relationship between art and function; integrating the disciplines of architecture, design, sculpture and installation. He has developed a wide variety of projects in different countries in which he investigates and experiments with new ways of relating space with society.

He has developed numerous projects (architecture, urban projects, site specific interventions, landscape interventions, set designs, exhibitions, outfit) in different countries such as Italy (Tuscanny and Sicily), Senegal, Austria, Switzerland, France, Greece, Spain (Barcelona, Madrid, Huesca, Bilbao), Portugal and Mexico, which he has conceived them in reason and function of its physical context and could not be generated in other place than in the one of their conception and realization.

His projects in which he investigates and experiment with new ways of relating space with society—explore the relationship between art and function, integrating the disciplines of architecture, design, sculpture, and installation. In this context, he has developed numerous projects at different scales, from large to small buildings, from objects to city and landscape interventions.

He has built projects in different countries such as Italy (Tuscany, Sicily and Sardinia), Senegal, Austria (Vienna), Spain (Barcelona, Madrid, Huesca, Bilbao and Zaragoza), Portugal, Switzerland (Lausanne), Taiwan (Taipei) and Mexico, conceiving each project in reason and function of its physical context and they could not be generated in any other place than the one of their conception and realization.

He has been selected as one of top 10 emerging design firms in the Architectural Records Design Vanguard Award. His work has garnered different awards including: Design Vanguard Emerging Designers. selected by Architectural Record magazine; Young Architects Award given by The Architectural League of New York, AR award for Emerging Architects given by The Architectural Review in London , the New Generation Award, contractworld, Hannover, Germany, The Young Architects Prize, given by the College of Architects in Barcelona and the National Grant for Mexican Young Architects.

He has been guest lecturer and guest professor at different international institutes such as at the Architectural League of New York, at the Royal Institute of British Architects, at the Architekturzentrum Vienna, at the College of Architects of Catalonia in Barcelona and at the International University of Catalonia.