#urtzigrau

OEhouse - Private residence 

The world is full of architecture, more or less interesting; we do not wish to add any more. Douglas Huebler’s motto, partially vandalized, seems an appropriate response to the current condition in architecture today. Faced with an unprecedented amount of available projects, the problem is not needing to write more of it but rather negotiate the negotiate what already exists.

The Clients wanted a double house, so they could move from one half to the other according to their state of mind. We provide with two well-known domestic environments -- the open frame of the Case Study houses for hedonistic pleasures toped with the interiorized existentialism of Le Corbusier's Maison Jaoul -- literally. The resulting exquisite corpse -- rapped in the most Spanish architectural prop of all: the persiana --  ensures the schizophrenic differentiation of modes of habitation as much as it negotiates the impossible encounter of both types.

...

Team: Fake Industries Architectural Agonism (Cristina Goberna and Urtzi Grau) + Aixopluc (David Tapias)

Client: Private

FKAA Preservation Archive 

A collection of twenty freshly canned projects presented in an installation at the Buenos Aires Biennial that asked the following questions:

How to produce and preserve architectural knowledge in a time of economical mayhem and fast consumption of architectural extravaganza? Our hypothesis assumes that in these conditions, one have to turn to copies in architectural production and the constructive disagreement in architectural discourse, and both converge when approaching the issue of preservation.

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Team: Fake Industries Architectural Agonism (Cruistina Goberna and Urtzi Grau)

Client: La Bienal de Arcquitectura de Buenos Aires 2011

Fluxus Reanimated Tour

Fake Industries [Cristina Goberna & Urtzi Grau] + Carlos Minguez had the pleasure to present "Aleatoric Tour," a reanimation-reenactment of the Fluxus' "Free-Flux Tour" performed on May 6th 1976. 

The reanimation-reenactment took place in the basement of Storefront for Art and Architecture. the public was asked to sign the following release form before entering the premises.

"In exchange for participation in the activity "Aleatoric Tour a reanimation-re-enactment of one of the Fluxus' Free-Flux Tours" organized by Fake Industries Architectural Agonism, Carlos Minguez and Storefront for Art and Architecture I recognize that there are certain inherent risks associated with the activity and I assume full responsibility for personal injury to myself, and further release and discharge Fake Industries Architectural Agonism, Carlos Minguez and Storefront for Art and Architecture for injury, loss or damage arising  out of my use or presence upon the facilities of Storefront for Art and Architecture, whether caused by the fault of myself or other third parties. I have read this document and understand it. I further understand that by signing this release, I voluntary surrender certain legal rights."

The performance was brought by American Express Gold. The public was asked to please show their American Express Gold to our associate in the door. Non holders were not be allowed to enter the basement. We apologized for the inconvenience. While the performance happened in the basement, the screen of Storefront displayed the following messages:

"The performance is about to begin. Please turn off you electronic devices and be quiet, conversations upstairs could disturb the performance downstairs."

And later on it was projected repeatedly:

"The performance is ongoing, silence please"

...

Team: Fake Industries Architectural Agonism (Cristina Goberna and Urtzi Grau) + Carlos Minguez

Client: Storefront for Art and Architecture

Arguably built by aliens – San Rocco's Books of copies

Invitation to select a collection of architectural works detected in different media by Fake Industries Architectural Agonism and are suspected to have an alien origin to be exhibited at the Venice Biennial 2012

Any attempt to identify architecture left on earth by an extraterrestrial culture implies a double and impossible transcription. Arguably, in their terrestrial constructions, aliens use mimicry to remain undetected. Their buildings necessarily look like human architecture. Yet, space-beings are probably unable to comprehend an alien culture like ours and therefore their works have to include humongous misconceptions. Alien architecture looks like human architecture but does not function as such.

In order to identify alien architecture we, humans, reverse-engineer the procedure. We look for extraterrestrial misconceptions in terrestrial architecture. Yet, unearthly cultures remain alien to us and therefore our assumptions arguably include outrageous misconceptions regarding what space-beings assume when looking our buildings. Lost in translation and alien architecture are synonymous.

Suspending disbelief, we based our suspicions in one hypothesis. Aliens observe the earth from afar and from afar thinks look slightly differently. All the architecture we identified follows that assumption. It has been produced looking from a point far away in space and therefore uses parallel projections and display geometrical relationships only. When used right, parallel projections convey a maximum amount of architectural information—plan and elevation—in a single document. To avoid noise and interferences, aliens reduce architecture to geometrical relationships. Their single concern is the change of direction in the planes that define volume. Alien architecture is built of edges and vertexes; it includes no other information.

The documents presented in the following pages are a collection of architectural works detected in different media by Fake Industries Architectural Agonism and are suspected to have an alien origin.   

Team: Fake Industries Architectural Agonism (Cristina Goberna and Urtzi Grau)

Client: San Rocco Magazine

Time line for the production of the master plan for the mining village of Aldea Moret for the exhibition Europan implements! Construction as Discourse.

Map describing the human and non-human agents, the documents and the relationships between them that configured the six years-long production of the master-plan for the mining village of Aldea Moret. 

Team: Fake Industries Architectural (Cristina Goberna and Urtzi Grau)

Client: Europan Europe