During June, Mexico City hosted one of the world's most famous workshops for the first time: Porto Academy. Held annually at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto—designed by 1992 Pritzker Prize laureate Álvaro Siza—this event is the result of a deep passion for architecture and for those who believe that practice, as the exercise of the profession, is fundamental to the future of the discipline.
These collective efforts promote an intensive, exhaustive program that brings together lectures, visits, and classes, alongside the experience of living in a new city and meeting people from diverse backgrounds to spark discussions and build new friendships, aiming to dissolve borders and bring people together.
With this in mind, the first edition of the Porto Academy 'Visiting Barragán' workshop was held from May 31 to June 7, featuring several architecture offices, including Rozana Montiel, Zeller & Moye, Manuel Cervantes, Go Hasegawa, Florian Idenburg, and Sam Chermayeff. Each studio was comprised of a workshop leader, a collaborator, and 10 students. The leader defined the theme, objectives, and process of the workshop, guided the students' work, and organized the final presentation alongside the collaborator and students, culminating in a final deliverable.
Below, discover the results of the workshops led by Rozana Montiel + Hortense Blanchard and Ingrid Moye + Sam Chermayeff, titled 'Looking Closer' and 'non-objects,' respectively.
Looking Closer
by Rozana Montiel + Hortense Blanchard
"The workshop began by exploring and getting lost in Barragán's gardens and courtyards. The group of eleven visited 11 sites: the Luis Barragán House and Studio, Casa Gilardi, Jardín 17, Casa Ortega, the Capuchinas Chapel, Cuadra San Cristóbal, Fuente de los Amantes, Los Bebederos, Casa Pedregal, Jardín Luis Barragán, and the Torres de Satélite. They were given a disposable camera and invited to observe, collect, and gather information, drawings, objects, materials, or excerpts from each site. By bringing them together on a shared table and wall, we created the courtyard and gardens of the cabinet of curiosities. Rather than seeking a predefined outcome, the students were given the time and space to engage in a process of close, obsessive observation, reinterpreting Luis Barragán's gardens and courtyards through multiple series of explorations, experiments, and images."
11 visits, 11 students, 11 obsessions, 11 ways to create 1 cabinet of curiosities, 1 collective wall… 1 collective result. Students: Diego Yáñez Vilet, Germán Peraza Valverde, Grisell Martínez, Hortense Blanchard, Jack Mitchell, Marco Ochoa, María Fernanda Reyes López, María Sofía Caldo Quezada, Ricardo Leitão, Rodrigo Calzada Macías, Rozana Montiel, Ryan Gillespie, Sebastián Montalvo Millet, Sergio Miguel Jasso Sánchez. Collaborator: Karina Caballero.
non-objects
Ingrid Moye (Zeller & Moye) + Sam Chermayeff (Sam Chermayeff Office)
"The non-objects series consists of freestanding furniture designed in dialogue with Barragán's work, specifically with Casa Gilardi. Each piece establishes a specific relationship with Barragán's design while introducing new functions to the house. They are as simple as a chair, as complex as a lamp enclosing a Wi-Fi router, or even serve to hide imperfections. The interventions aim to create a playful dialogue between past and present, literally reflecting the historic architecture onto the surface of a contemporary object, while reinterpreting Barragán's approach and incorporating it into contemporary life.
All objects are constructed from reflective materials, including mirror, reflective plastic, and polished metal. These objects serve a dual purpose: they become a non-intrusive presence within the distinctive context while offering unexpected perspectives of the surroundings, thereby expanding our conventional field of vision. The reflective nature of the objects is a tribute to Barragán's use of reflected images within Casa Gilardi, whether through glass, water, light, or objects. The objects will be temporarily exhibited inside the house before moving to new locations, bringing the essence of Barragán to new contexts."
For more information, visit Porto Academy's official website and Instagram account here.
This article was written by Mónica Arellano. The translation is powered by AI.
