PORTFOLIO 2025 by Ignacio Lira Montes

A Selection of Architecture and Transdisciplinary Projects

by Ignacio Lira Montes.

PO RTFO LIO

B. Arch. / Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile.

MDes Publics 26’ / Harvard GSD, US.

Architect and university professor, finalist and winner of various national and international architecture and art competitions. Currently, his work seamlessly integrates architectural projects with transdisciplinary practices, encompassing exhibitions, curations, and research.

Ignacio Lira Montes

ESTELAR: COLLECTIVE SKIES

CURATORS

Stellar explores Chile’s role in global astronomy amid growing environmental threats. It examines the intersection of science, extractivism, and territorial management, questioning how to sustain astronomical research. Framing the night sky as a hyperobject, it challenges notions of ownership and calls for collective preservation. Through community engagement and new governance models, Stellar envisions a sustainable future where knowledge and environmental responsibility coexist.

The curatorial proposal Stellar for the Chilean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale explores the relationship between Chilean territory and its central role in global astronomy. With 70% of the world’s capacity for astronomical research, Chile has become a natural laboratory for observing the cosmos. However, this privileged position is at risk due to uncontrolled urban expansion and mining-industrial activities, which generate light pollution and impact both scientific research and local biodiversity.

Through the concept of Intelligens, understood as the ability to adapt and solve problems in a changing environment, Stellar questions Chile’s presumed centrality in global astronomy. It presents a critical perspective on the evolution of this phenomenon, from 19th-century scientific expeditions to largescale international investments in observatories such as ALMA and the VLT. This history is linked to other extractivist narratives, such as the exploitation of saltpeter and lithium, highlighting a continuity in the use of Chilean territory for external interests.

The proposal calls for a recalibration of Chile’s role in this network of global interests, where the night sky is understood as a hyperobject, following Timothy Morton’s theory: an immense and shared entity that challenges traditional notions of ownership. From this perspective, Stellar advocates for a new civic epistemology that involves local communities in the preservation of dark skies, establishing a model for sustainable and equitable scientific development. Thus, the sky is no longer just a resource for astronomy but a common good whose conservation is essential for the future of knowledge and life on the planet.

Second prize for the proposal in the Ideas Competition for the Pavilion of Chile at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective” Organized by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage. Government of Chile. 2025.

Carolina Sepúlveda

Ignacio Lira

Andrés Lira

Dennis Solá

Renzo Marsino

Weichi He Sofía Garrido

Serrano

keywords: biennale, decolonization pavilion, technical landscape

STRATA

The project was developed as part of the course VIS 2484 Interdisciplinary Art and Design Practices, taught by Professor Malkit Shoshan during the Fall 2024 semester at Harvard GSD. This installation was selected to be built and exhibited during the ART FIRST FESTIVAL in May 2025 at Harvard University. Project Ongoing.

INSTRUCTOR

Malkit

Strata references a 2016 archeologic excavation of the Harvard Indian College. This abstract container posits that archeology is an act of making and unmaking mythology of place. Through these excavation sites, we seek to understand the history of this region and the systemic forces shaping its change. These massively distributed forces—colonialism and all its component parts, leaves traces in the stratigraphy of the ground beneath our feet, from the shallowest layers to its depths.

Bricks of the Indian College, bone, old nails, and lead block type from the printing of the eliot bible, are examples of artifacts unearthed here and were deemed important to photograph, analyze, and archive. These objects, all found in the depths of the excavation site, mark a history where the 17th century settler-colonial project interfaced with the region’s indigenous Massachusett, Wampanoag, and Nipmuck peoples through trade and exchange, but also violence, manipulation, and territorial dispossession.

Reaching these older items also meant sifting through upper deposits of our relative recent past: shredded plastic, sediments of petrochemicals and PFAS, modern currency, and the comings and goings of a campus and public transformed by this history. These artifacts of contemporary life were not archived, and instead returned to the ground or sent to landfills on the perimeter of the city. What myths could we begin to unmake when we see all of these artifacts together as layers related by the component forces of this initial colonial project?

Strata is an excavation site that frames these artifactsas an archive of related layers and as evidence of the same massively distributed forces acting across time. It is an excavation site concerned with our present moment and with layers of sediment yet to be deposited.

The installation expands on the language of various archeologic processes: photogrammetry, 3D scans, and the online archive by integrating a web-based augmented reality (webAR) experience for viewers with a mobile device. Projected from the floor of the installation is a swirling conglomeration of archived objects from the dig site, as well contemporary artifacts of the Anthropocene and the contemporary built environment. From one’s mobile device, this expanded archive can be viewed in more detail, narrated with snippets describing each object from the Peabody Museum and other sources.

POST-TRAUMATIC AMNESIA

The project was developed as part of the course VIS 2469 Public Space, Memory, and Social Dialogue, taught by Professor Krzysztof Wodiczko during the Fall 2024 semester at Harvard GSD. It was evaluated with distinction.

INSTRUCTOR

Krzysztof Wodiczko

Ignacio Lira

Victoria Suárez

In this context, death is configured as one of the most profound traumas a person can face in their life, capable of provoking symptoms such as dissociation. Psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton, cited by Herman, describes this phenomenon as a “psychic numbing,” an emotional disconnection that acts as a defense against the impact of trauma (Herman, p. 32).

But what happens when this memory loss or post-traumatic amnesia manifests at a collective level? This project explores this phenomenon on a large scale, specifically linking it to the theme of death.

The proposal explores collective amnesia through the death of former Chilean president Sebastián Piñera, a figure whose legacy was marked by controversy and public discontent, especially during the 2019 social unrest. On February 6, 2024, Piñera died in a helicopter crash over Lake Ranco, sparking tributes that contradicted his polarizing reputation. This event serves as a lens to examine memory loss, both literal and symbolic, addressing the tension between forgetting and reconstructing traumatic narratives.

The project unfolds in three scales: a site-specific installation, a transparent “ghost black box” monument, and a digital archive. The installation, a 25-meter tower at the crash site, invites users to ascend a staircase and confront the vertigo of memory reconstruction, culminating in a symbolic jump into the water. This act embodies both physical and symbolic concussions, with water representing the boundary between visible and hidden memory.

The “ghost black box” reimagines the flight recorder as a transparent object, symbolizing the dialogue between the hidden and visible layers of memory. Its transparency exposes scars of traumatic events while offering a threshold to recover silenced narratives. Serving as a link between the installation and the monument, a digital archive provides access to fragmented voices, testimonies, and soundscapes, including echoes of the crash. This sensory experience bridges the physical and digital elements, reconstructing displaced narratives and challenging collective amnesia.

By combining these components, the proposal critically examines the processes of memory, forgetting, and reconstruction, inviting the public to reflect on how traumatic events shape collective and personal identities. It highlights the impact of idealized narratives and offers an experiential framework to engage with the scars of history, fostering a deeper understanding of memory as both a fragile and transformative phenomenon.

keywords art, landscape, memory

Link to an audiovisual proposal based on accounts from victims of the social uprising in Santiago, 2019.

MOLLUSCA, POETRY OF SHELLS

“Mollusca, Poetry of Shells” is a exhibition curated by chilean artist Elizabeth Burmann, MFA in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design. The exhibition takes place at Universidad de Chile. Santiago. ARCHITECTURE

CURATOR

The exhibition opens as a portal transporting us to the cultural and natural heritage of Chile and the world. It invites us to delve into a universe of over a thousand specimens and around five hundred species, where art, poetry, sculpture, and science converge to tell stories of biodiversity, call for the preservation of marine ecosystems, and raise awareness about the environmental challenges humanity faces. Beyond presenting a silent treasure, the exhibition embraces the aesthetic legacy of this cherished collection and offers an opportunity to imagine, alongside the creatures that once inhabited these shells, new forms of poetry—where the complex relationship between humanity and marine life can be heard.

This exhibition showcases a selection of the 8,400 pieces from the Malacological Section of the Neruda Collection, safeguarded in the Andrés Bello Central Archive at the University of Chile. Each of these pieces holds a unique natural and cultural microhistory. Neruda donated this remarkable collection, along with his library, to the University of Chile on his fiftieth birthday, wishing to give back to the people all that he had received from Chile throughout his life. Species such as Murex, Scalaria, Cypraea, Spondylus, Rostellaria, Tridacna, and Nautilus not only inspired his works but also captivated him with their intricate structures and essential presence in the sea.

For this exhibition, the biology of mollusks, their roles within ecosystems, and the environments they inhabit were explored. Through anatomical studies, models, scientific illustrations, cultivation practices, and the display of natural collections, the aim was to create an expanded diorama that, instead of following the humanimposed taxonomic hierarchies, opened itself to the

multiplicity of times contained within the ocean. This information, embedded in the underwater creatures, transforms mollusk shells into carriers of natural and cultural histories.

Thus, the exhibition invites visitors to immerse themselves in a universe of shells and conchs, imagining their forms of life. Mollusks existed long before humanity and encode signs that narrate stories— from the materiality of the primordial sea where life and species diversity originated, to the contemporary residues such as the tons of microplastics generated by industrial activity.

Mollusks, rich in symbolic, historical, and cultural meanings, reflect humanity’s relationship with nature through stories of evolution, colonialism, and exploitation. This exhibition, inspired by poetry, seeks to unveil these layered narratives and bring the ocean’s depth to the surface.

CONCHA EN ÁCIDO

“Concha en Ácido” (EN - “Shell on Acid”) is an exhibition by Chilean artist Elizabeth Burmann, MFA in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design. The exhibition takes place at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Santiago de Chile.

CURATOR Sergio Soto

The exhibition invites us to rethink the effects of human activity on nature, especially in the sea. Today, crustaceans, mollusks, and planktonic communities are suffering the dissolution of their bodies due to ocean acidification, caused by the accumulation of gases in the atmosphere. For some time now, feminist thinkers have delved into the seas, acknowledging their vitality and imagining renewed forms of life. The exhibition, whose title references the essay “Your Shell on Acid” by theorist Stacy Alaimo, moves away from dominant narratives where “the human” hierarchically imposes itself over female bodies, non-normative bodies, subalternities, and other forms of life.

Four rooms, an in-depth and specific investigation, a wide diversity of formats and disciplines, a broad variety of techniques, a setup so exhaustive it resembles a film shoot, and a large multidisciplinary team. The work, the way of working, and the goals of Elizabeth Burmann Littin in some way recall the Romantic concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk. However, instead of the white, masculine nationalism of the “total work of art,” what Elizabeth proposes is fluid, environmental, integrated, intertwined. Continuing with musical analogies, it’s as if Debussy’s aqueous minimalism, rather than overcoming the grandiosity of 19th-century Europe, had dissolved it.

It’s a liquidity that can be sensed in the marine forms highlighted in the exhibition, but also in the liquefaction of formats and the dissolution of hierarchies between disciplines, authorships, and eras. “It feels ‘natural’ for various media to mix, and it’s also exciting to see new combinations of techniques and materials in the creation of installations and objects. I created several pieces in collaboration with illustrator Simón Jarpa, then

with architect Ignacio Lira. We brought them to life through 3D modeling. Afterward, they were laser-cut, and then reworked with heat, using more obsolete fire techniques, with chemical reactions to create patinas, and finally with the stained glass technique (assembling pieces of glass) invented by Tiffany in the 19th century,” explains Elizabeth.

Thus, Concha en ácido (Shell in Acid) is an exhibition with approaches based on the collective (even friendship), on discarded materials, on architectural interventions, and on expanded versions of sculpture.

A rhizome of decisions reminiscent of a more domestic Matta-Clark. A Food (Matta-Clark, 1971) reimagined in pink and located on the central coast, with multiple sculptural tables. However, Elizabeth’s proposal, rather than aiming to contribute to the aestheticization of the ocean floor, seeks to bring to the surface what we fail to see: that the crabs, quite literally, are disintegrating.

FOSSIL PALM

First place in the competition “Artistic Intervention for the El Melón Tunnel in the communes of Zapallar and Nogales, Valparaíso Region.” organized by the Architecture Department of the Ministry of Public Works. Government of Chile. Currently under construction.

DESIGN

Miguel Soto

Ignacio Lira

RESEARCH

Miguel Soto

Ignacio Lira

GRAPHICS AND 3D MODELING

Ignacio Lira

MODEL

Miguel Soto

Ignacio Lira

ENGINEERING

PRDW Santiago: Jorge Bauerle

Daggo Mellado

CONSTRUCTION

Jorge Velásquez

The artwork is presented as a foreseen or future memorial that aims to bring attention to the fragile conservation status of the Chilean Palm. They are abstract representations of tree trunks, like remnants from a Jurassic tropical past (a time when this species was native). Moreover, by employing industrial elements and materials, it addresses a landscape construction more related to exploitation and irresponsible development than to an idealized vision of the untamed.

The Chilean Palm holds a significant place in Chile’s cultural imagery, particularly along the Central Coast in the Valparaíso Region. It has been referenced by notable figures like Gabriela Mistral in poems and Onofre Jarpa in his paintings of the Central Valleys. Its image even graces the cover of Chile’s Civil Union Agreement Notebook. However, it was recently declared endangered due to the imminent risk of disappearing.

The Jubaea Chilensis, known as Kan-Kan in Quechua or Lilla in Mapudungun (the language of the Andean and Mapuche people respectively), is endemic to our country. Being the largest and southernmost palm in the world, it is also the only one that doesn’t thrive in tropical climates. Originally evolving in a tropical environment prior to glaciations, it remained confined to our territory due to the uplift of the Andes Mountain range, adapting to the semiarid climate of this region.

The artwork “Fossil Palm” draws inspiration from this cultural heritage to develop a proposal that delves into this shared imagery while discussing its potential for preservation and transformation. It comprises three sculptures that, through a morphological analysis of the Jubaea Chilensis, replicate the geometries found in its trunk. However, instead of faithfully reproducing the original texture and color, alterations are applied to achieve a distinct effect.

The forms ascend from the ground using metal tripods, designed based on supports that secure specimens of this palm from different parts of the country, preventing collapse. This elevation underscores its delicate nature and generates horizontal lines at both its upper and lower extremities, creating a contrast with the verticality of the volumes. This dual manipulation of color and supports redefines its image, familiar to the local viewer, imparting a charred or fossilized appearance that invites contemplation about its future.

La Palma Chilena es una especie emblemática en el imaginario cultural de Chile, particularmente del Litoral Central en la Región de Valparaíso. Ha sido citada por referentes como Gabriela Mistral en poemas y Onofre Jarpa en sus pinturas de los Valles Centrales. Su imagen incluso ocupa la portada de la Libreta de Acuerdo de Unión Civil de Chile. Sin embargo, fue recientemente declarada en peli-

La obra Palma Fósil, se sirve de este patrimonio cultural para desarrollar una propuesta que explora este imaginario compartido la vez que discute sus posibilidades de preservación y transformación. Se compone de tres esculturas que, mediante un análisis morfológico de la Jubaea Chilensis, reproducen las geometrías presentes en su tronco, pero en lugar de reproducir la textura y el color original se alteran para lograr un efecto distinto.

GENTE MALA DEL NORTE

Honorable mention for the proposal in the Ideas Competition for the Pavilion of Chile at the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale “The Laboratory of the Future.” Organized by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage. Government of Chile. 2023.

CURATOR

Carolina Sepúlveda

DESIGN

Catalina Cárcamo

Agustina Jarpa

Ignacio Lira

Miguel Soto

CONTENT

DIRECTION

Carolina Sepúlveda Ignacio Lira

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Domingo Martínez GRAPHIC IDENTITY AND ART DIRECTION

Constanza López

Pau Geis

AUDIOVISUAL PROJECT

Valeria Hofmann

The project explores the relationship between the housing crisis and the construction of future imaginaries in Chile. Based on movement (disaster) and stillness (equilibrium), it presents a survival glossary in precarious contexts. Furthermore, it seeks testimonies from individuals in various aquatic environments throughout the country and poses the question: What would have happened if the ways of life of the nomadic canoe communities had not been interrupted by colonization from the global North?

“Gente Mala del Norte” (EN - Bad People From the North) discusses the crisis in modes of dwelling to reveal the need to construct visions of the future based on the collective pursuit of balance in our relationship with water. The scarcity of various essential resources, especially the latter, will bring about a series of forced migratory movements and processes. This imminent crisis compels us to rethink our ways of dwelling and consuming. The paradigms underpinning our cities and lifestyles assume an unlimited horizon of development. As the illusory nature of these aspirations is unveiled, we find ourselves thrust into the certainty of a future context of precarity and scarcity.

Through the study of movement, understood as natural disasters and responses to them, and rest, as an idyllic state of equilibrium, “Gente Mala del Norte” proposes a glossary of survival experiences. This record contributes to the development of essential imaginaries and sensitivities for inhabiting a potential post-apocalyptic future.

Divided into five volumes: I Genesis, II Disaster, III

Collectivity, IV Depletion, and V Desire, the proposed “Laboratory of the Future” is an ark that oscillates between movement and rest, offering refuge for its users seeking constant balance. At its center, a water-containing artifact, functioning as a bubble level, not only allows us to observe the movement of this barge but also serves as a reminder that, depending on its condition, water can be a source of life or destruction.

In this space, visits, stories, and reflections of Chileans in real-time converge. The exhibition presents testimonies of different individuals tied to water, who make their lives on the coastal edge, whether maritime, riverine, or of another kind. All these experiences are traversed by the same question: What would have happened if the dwelling practices of seafaring peoples had not been truncated by colonization?

keywords: biennale, decolonization indigenous peoples pavilion, rural landscape

I. Genesis:

Ways of dwelling around nomadism

Through the concept of genesis, we present various ways of dwelling in relation to water, while also showcasing successful cases of adaptation in challenging environments for human survival. We explore concepts of nomadism, vastness, creation, scarcity, movement, and territory.

II. Disaster:

Ways of dwelling around resilience

Through the concept of disaster, we examine catastrophic events in our history associated with the movement of the earth and water. Earthquakes and tsunamis have fragmented the territory, erasing cities and homes of thousands of inhabitants. The reformulation of Chile’s development-oriented State during the first half of the 20th century as we know it today coincides with the need to respond to natural disasters through the promotion of industrialization and the provision of emergency housing.

III. Collectivity:

Ways of dwelling around the common

Through the concept of collectivity, we review different modes of community organizations, from celebration to political-territorial organization such as neighborhood associations. Specifically, we will study community organizations that emerged in response to emergencies, such as the residents of “rucos,” emergency housing constructed after the Valdivia earthquake, who referred to themselves as “ruqueños” and formed the Command of Ruqueño Inhabitants.

IV. Depletion:

Ways of dwelling around scarcity

Through the concept of depletion, we declare a state of crisis in present forms of dwelling. Economic pressures, climate change, extractivism, and more have generated not only a depletion of natural resources but also a depletion in our own abilities to collectively think of alternative ways of living.

V. Desire:

Ways of dwelling around balance

“Desire” is the final chapter. We propose desire as a starting point to inquire about what we desire for a future that will likely be marked by precarity and scarcity. Desire moves us from stagnation and urges us to imagine. Just as water, a scarce and healing resource, a source of life and transformation, desire must maintain a balance to avoid overflowing and becoming imbalanced.

MAREAS

“Mareas”

ARTWORKS

TEXT

Elizabeth Burmann ARCHITECT AND EXHIBITION

Celeste Olalquiaga

DEVELOPER

Ignacio Lira

ILLUSTRATOR AND DESIGN

COLLABORATOR

Simón Jarpa

Pascual Mena

Gracia Fernández

(…) “‘Mareas’ emulates the ocean depths that we cannot control and that, fortunately, we still don’t know well enough to fully wreck. Much like the submarine world’s appearances, which constantly trick us with corals that look like rocks, anemones that turn out to be venomous flowers, and jellyfish with a lethal touch, ‘Mareas’ recreates our esthetic fantasy of the underwater world while exposing it as such”.

Excerpt from the text “Marine Debris” by Celeste Olalquiaga.

The exhibition by Elizabeth Burmann recreates underwater atmospheres through the construction of pieces that, for the most part, base their concept on the study of organisms that inhabit various aquatic environments around the world, including Chilean waters.

Mytilus chilensis, better known as “choritos,” and ophiuroids shape this underwater representation that aims to highlight the roles of these species in the ocean depths and their biological particularities. However, the value of these organisms is not limited to these characteristics; it also extends to their historical interaction with humanity since ancient times. As the artist mentions: “From ancient times, the stories of mollusks and humanity have been intertwined. Their coexistence has been a source of legends, sustenance, and economic support.” This is compounded by the fact that some coastal communities use parts of these species for utilitarian and decorative purposes. Mollusks, crustaceans, and other marine organisms form

an essential part of the collective imagination in coastal populations throughout the Chilean territory. Due to the overexploitation of these resources, many of these species have undergone alterations in their ecosystems and ways of life. Therefore, their adaptability has been crucial for their survival in this challenging environment. This underscores how these species have accompanied us since our beginnings and are likely to continue doing so in the future.

The work carried out with the artist primarily focused on the task of recreating these soft-bodied organisms using industrial materials with completely opposite characteristics. Consequently, it was essential to configure geometries and finishes that would allow us to disconnect from the dominance of these materials and immerse ourselves in a world of organic features. Through manufacturing patterns designed with digital tools, standardized pieces were created that facilitated a reinterpretation of the anatomical characteristics of these species.

(EN

“Tides”) is an exhibition by Chilean artist Elizabeth Burmann, MFA in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design. The exhibition takes place at Galería Patricia Ready, Santiago de Chile.

3d models for the development of manufacturing blueprints:

i. brittle stars - 4 units. ii mollusca

folding screen

A MONSTER I HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE

ARTWORKS

Miguel Soto

CURATORY

Sentimental Studio:

Ignacio Lira

Carolina Sepúlveda

Ignacio Lira

Danko Tocigl

Esteban Serrano

Ignacio Lira

Miguel Soto

Ignacio Lira

Carolina Sepúlveda

The exhibition is a contemplation of the complex relationship between humans and non-humans in the age of the Anthropocene, exploring themes of confinement and domination as forms of colonization through the interpretation of nature’s elements as monstrous creatures. Through the manipulation of savage and wild species, represented in the exhibition by tree logs and palm tree leaves, among others, the exhibition presents a new cross-species relationship that departs from an aesthetic and discursive exploration.

The exhibition originates from an investigation into the Chilean Palm, initially conducted by the artist and later in collaboration with me. This species, whose roots trace back to the Jurassic era, evokes a time when the fauna and flora of our land were colossal and, at times, seemed monstrous. This phenomenon has been the subject of study by artists and scholars from various disciplines, including science, literature, mythology, and religion, who have sought to shape these creatures that, while fascinating to the viewer, often also evoke unease and fear.

To the imposing presence of the Chilean Palm, other specimens and historical events are added, creating an interconnected system where themes related to history, botany, politics, ecology, and gender ideology converge. These elements form an inner landscape that becomes a mosaic of native monsters. Ultimately, these beings narrate the complex history of Chile after colonization, presenting themselves as a bestiary of real (and imaginary) species to the exhibition’s visitors.

In addition to co-curation (carried out under the name Sentimental Studio) and advisory work on the installation, my role also includes collaboration with the artist in creating an audiovisual piece that explores the felling of a Chilean Palm planted in the Temperate House of Kew Gardens, London, in 1846. Despite its significance as an endangered species, in 2014, the decision was made to cut down the specimen due to its height, even though it had already been classified as vulnerable by the Ministry of the Environment of the Chilean Government due to its high risk of extinction in the wild. This event leads us to reflect on the conservation of species and the relationship between nature and architecture.

The work speculates on a scenario in which the Palm can grow freely by creating an oversized and discordant architectural structure, similar to the unregulated expansions of buildings (a common practice in Latin America). This new structure acts as a “cage,” allowing the Palm to grow to maturity but keeping it in captivity, as if it were a monster.

An exhibition by Chilean artist Miguel Soto, MA in Sculpture from Royal College of Art, London. Curated by Sentimental Studio (Ignacio Lira and Carolina Sepúlveda). The exhibition takes place at Galería Local Arte Contemporáneo, Santiago de Chile.

Monsters have long been a source of fascination for artists and writers alike, offering a means of exploring the boundaries and limitations of the human experience. From ancient myths to modern literature, these monstrous beings have embodied the unknown, the feared, and the transgressive. They represent a powerful symbol of otherness, embodying the liminal spaces between the human and non-human, the natural and the supernatural, and the self and the other. In many ways, the monstrous body represents a form of castration that also defies binarism, and is often subjected to exclusion, pathologization, and medical intervention to uphold societal values.

The exhibition “A Monster I Have Never Seen Before” is a contemplation of the complex relationship between humans and non-humans in the age of the Anthropocene, exploring themes of confinement and domination as forms of colonization through the interpretation of nature’s elements as monstrous creatures. Through the manipulation of savage and wild species, represented in the exhibition by tree logs and palm tree leaves, among others, the exhibition presents a new cross-species relationship that departs from an aesthetic and discursive exploration. The Jubaea Chilensis, a monstrous and hermaphroditic body, appears as a decolonial figure in this proto-futuristic landscape. This tree, described by French botanist Claude Gay during his expedition to Chile in the mid-19th century, was exhibited at various world fairs, including the Exposition Universelle de 1867 in Paris where it was presented in the Chilean pavilion. Interestingly, the same Jubaea Chilensis adorned the Temperate House at Kew Gardens in London since 1846, before being cut down due to outgrowing its height in the greenhouse space in the 2010s. By drawing on these tales of manipulation, “A Monster Have Never Seen Before” presents a captivating exploration of humanity’s impact on the natural world and the resulting consequences for feral entities.

Using mutilated sculptures, the exhibition presents a thought-provoking landscape of prosthetic subjects -using Paul Preciado’s term to overthrow binarism-, utilizing feral and monstrous bodies as a means of challenging conventional notions of gender, national identity, ambiguity, and sexuality. This landscape is both familiar and strange, reflecting the castration of nature and drawing from Michel Foucault’s Abnormal Lectures at the Collège de France to explore the pathologization and exclusion of non-conforming bodies as a symbol of oppression and control. The hermaphroditic body, modified from natural elements, plays a crucial role in this new reality of ambiguity -the dysphoria mundi-. Through his artworks, Miguel Soto offers a powerful reminder of humanity’s history of exerting dominance over wild creatures by confining them to cages, as was common in zoos and world fairs during the 19th century.

The production and consumption of images of modified bodies in a pornography industry that eroticizes and fetishizes them -called by Paul Preciado farmacopornografía- is well-reflected in Miguel Soto’s exhibition, through the use of castrated sculptures and natural elements. Additionally, Soto’s use of natural materials as an aesthetic medium offers a fresh interpretation of Susan Sontag’s concept of “camp,” which highlights the separation between nature and aesthetics and the association between queerness and a new sensibility that refers to non-binary species. In summary, “A Monster I Have Never Seen Before” offers a refreshing interpretation of contemporary discourses around the relation between human and nonhuman bodies and the hermaphrodite as a techno-natural order, while highlighting the ever-increasing proximity between them in the context of the Anthropocene’s scarcity of natural resources that we are living in.

CRUISING: QUEER SOLIDARITY PRACTICES

This project is funded by

CORE RESEARCH TEAM

Carolina Sepúlveda

Ignacio Lira

Angelo Santa Cruz

PRIMARY ADVISORS

Valentina Carraro

Fernando Schrupp

EXTENDED ADVISOR TEAM

Valentina Carraro

Fernando Schrupp

Francesca Ranalli

Jade Mandrake

COLLABORATOR AND EVENT

PRODUCER

Catalina Cárcamo

GRAPHIC IDENTITY AND ART DIRECTION

Lucas Papin

Pau Geis

ALLIES IN THE FIELD

Heiko Pfreundt (DEU)

Galo Coca (BOL)

This research is the second phase of “Cruising,” exploring artistic practices and queer collectives (or “queer adjacent,” referring to entities that promote inclusion and rights for this community) among young people in Santiago and Berlin in public spaces. The aim is to understand how young individuals express and create identities through art within the context of artistic collectives. This exploration is relevant due to the limited evidence connecting queerness, youth, curatorial and artistic practices, and the public domain.

“Cruising” refers to the gay practice of seeking sexual encounters with strangers in public spaces, but it also carries an amorous sense of a pleasurable journey. To cruise is akin to a dream of floating on the ocean, taking our fears and desires with us as we navigate towards new and intimate horizons that did not exist before. In this way, cruising opens possibilities for imagination and life beyond the constraints of “straight” societal order norms.

Cruising: Queer solidarity practices is a research affair delving into how queer art practices foster solidarity through resistance in urban cultural landscapes connecting the Global South to the Global North. Our approach investigates forms of cruising that extend beyond sexuality, focusing on decentralized collective rituals as new forms of commoning in public spaces originating from queerness. Thus, we ask: in what ways do queer art practices among young people offer novel forms of commoning?

The research explores queer curatorial practices in public spaces across Europe and Latin America, aiming to

understand how young people express queer identities through art in various contexts, including public spaces, non-institutional settings, and nightlife.

Through a podcast, we provide a platform for the authentic voices of young queer individuals, often excluded from traditional academic research. This allows us to gain a nuanced understanding of how young people create and express queer identities through art, especially in challenging contexts.

The “Cruising” project promotes interdisciplinarity using diverse methodologies from the social sciences, arts, and humanities. Its outcomes are hybrid, encompassing academic and artistic formats such as podcasts and an audiovisual exhibition. The project involves a diverse group of interdisciplinary professionals and communities, including musicians, curators, scholars, artists, architects, urban planners, to collectively explore the intersections of queer art practices, youth culture, and urban environments.

the XL Seed Grant program from the Center for Urban Studies at the University of Amsterdam. Project presented at the exhibition ‘Cruising: Queer Solidarity Practices’ at Kirkland Gallery, GSD Harvard University.

RURAL ARTIFACTS

DESIGN

Beatriz Harriet

Alvaro Parraguez

Ignacio Lira

GRAPHICS

Alvaro Parraguez

Beatriz Harriet

Ignacio Lira TEXT Alvaro Parraguez

Ignacio Lira RENDERING Beatriz Harriet

keywords: decolonization, rural landscapes, technology

The project amalgamates local wisdom and engineering in highly productive rural territories in Latin America. Challenging conventions, it employs elements like straw bales to shape a simple cylindrical pavilion of 12x6 meters. More than a mere structure, it’s a dialogue between the rural and the industrial, with an interior that reveals the interplay between contemporary technology and the essence of rural life.

In Latin America, rural landscapes possess a highly productive character, as they are imbued with the intricate local wisdom of the communities that inhabit them. This wisdom is enriched by engineering techniques that, despite being occasionally rudimentary, prove to be quite effective. This synergy between insight and skill contributes to the creation of an inventory of elements that shape a unique and distinctive essence of the environment.

Following this perspective, the construction of infrastructure emerges through simple local building techniques, employing natural materials and oriented towards the production of consumer goods. In this context, straw bales transform into vegetal modules that constitute a serialized and industrialized component with standardized measurements. Inherently ephemeral in nature, this material decomposes, dissipates, and returns to its original state, thus generating an elemental cycle of resource renewal.

The proposal introduces a pavilion of simple geometry: a 12-meter diameter cylinder with a height of 6 meters, achieved by radially stacking 500 bales, which are compressed against a wooden skeleton and steel supports. The space, delineated by two entrances, promotes continuous movement and facilitates the development of diverse activities within.

This infrastructure manifests as a sort of decontextualization from urban reality, an artifact for drying straw bales that seeks to function as a gathering point within the Central Alameda of Mexico City. This public park, the oldest on the American continent and a landmark of the city’s Historic Center, gains through the pavilion a reminder and enhancement of peasant wisdom.

The interior of the pavilion is enveloped in an atmosphere of delicate composition and temporal degradation, establishing a dialogue between the inherent technology of the industrialized world and the fundamental aspects of the rural world, all encapsulated in a single piece, where the audience becomes an active part of this ensemble.

The project corresponds to the proposal for Competition No. 24 Mextrópoli Pavilion 2022, organized by Arquine, for Mexico City.

AFTER-DINNER

CURATOR

Pablo Altikes DESIGN

Anna Adrià

Beatriz Harriet

Alvaro Parraguez

Ignacio Lira

Maximilian Nowotka GRAPHICS

Alvaro Parraguez

Beatriz Harriet Ignacio Lira

TEXT

Anna Adrià RENDERING

Beatriz Harriet

Anna Adrià

Through a declaration that sparks questions and action, a hierarchy-free forum is established where diverse perspectives converge to celebrate everyday life in an interconnected world. By employing domestic furniture, the dining area is recreated, which has evolved into an exceedingly democratic realm of contemporary living, serving not only as a workspace but also as the meeting point with those we share our daily lives with.

A declaration of intentions that raises more questions than answers, becoming a call to action. Its objective is to create an open forum, without hierarchies, where multiple voices and perspectives can coexist and celebrate everyday life. The conditions of the country and the world have led us to explore new domestic relationships and the possibilities of physical and virtual interconnections.

In eighty square meters, a scene of domestic life is presented, with the most ordinary elements of any home: a chair and a table. The space represents the place where collective decisions could be made: the contemporary agora. It is a space offered for citizen participation, where mechanisms can be found to address differences in viewpoints in an immersive and sensory environment.

We all have a chair and a table in our homes. As a consequence of current conditions, it is the place where we eat, work, study, and interact with the people we live with. It has become the most democratic place of dwelling.

From the outside, the device is a large illuminated box, with a semi-transparent curtain suspended from a metal structure. In addition to its lighting function, this skin serves as a screen for projecting digital information. Upon crossing, at a haptic level, the luminous sensation changes. It is darker than it seemed. There is also a distinct change in the pavement from the surrounding area, indicated by a small incline. A large table and an array of objects for sitting are present. The table is long and narrow, without corners. On its surface, various projected contents (the source of the light) are displayed. The table is surrounded by a diverse catalog of chairs, armchairs, benches, stools, boxes, cubes, and ladders for visitors to sit on. From some chairs, sounds and dialogues can be heard, emanating from speakers hanging from the upper structure.

This entire scene sets the perfect stage for initiating reflections and conversations in which decisions can be made, with the audience being a part of them.

Honorable Mention for the “Sobremesa” project in the Ideas Competition for the Interior Exhibition of the 12th Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism of Chile. Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage. Government of Chile.

NEW MUSEUM OF SANTIAGO

The project was awarded second place out of a total of 76 proposals by

STUDIO

JMF SCL DESIGN

Cristián Alvarado

Ignacio Lira Fda. Gurruchaga

Manuel Rufin

GRAPHICS AND VIDEO

Ignacio Lira Fda. Gurruchaga

Manuel Rufin

composed

LANDSCAPE Agustina Wetzig

COLLABORATOR Carolina Arros ENGINEERING Pilar Menendez

The democratization of disciplines originally assigned to the elite is one of the objectives of this project, which acts as a “hub” that articulates the urban environment and its inhabitants with the exhibitions inside the museum simultaneously. Sinuous and open circulations aim to create an immersive experience where activities within the museum are not confined solely to the galleries but rather merge to build a unified experience, thus enabling equitable access to knowledge.

After the 1950s, many paradigms in the art world began to change, aiming to democratize the discipline and reach the widest possible audience, without economic and social differentiations. Nowadays, museums, as establishments, have different programmatic elements compared to the past. Restaurants, cafes, gift shops, among others, form the basis of the current model followed by these institutions.

Furthermore, within the same historical context, artists decided to step out of the museum and engage with the public space, where the dialogue with viewers of the artworks was direct and equitable, allowing for the dissemination of their work and, above all, culture on a large scale.

This ancient but increasingly relevant approach opens the discussion on how cultural spaces should be in countries where this knowledge is not easily accessible

to everyone, creating a significant gap between those with access to these contents and those without.

With this goal in mind, a building is proposed to be as democratizing as possible, merging the boundaries that frame its perimeter and suggesting circulations and common spaces that invite the community to explore.

Wandering becomes a performative act, and the flow of pedestrians manages to configure a new landscape within the museum itself, allowing for a completely fluid and public connection from the street to the park. It ceases to be an institutional space and transforms into a true corridor or boulevard that allows the observation of exhibited samples without the need to interrupt your journey and, for the same reason, without the formality imposed by an outdated museum model that encouraged class differentiation and is currently obsolete.

the jury

of: Glenn D. Lowry, (Jury President); David Adjaye, David Chipperfield, Claudio Engel, Steven Holl, Luis Izquierdo, Toshiko Mori, Frances Morris, Charles Renfro, Marcelo Sarovic, and Raúl Torrealba (Mayor of Vitacura Municipality).

plan view 01

park level

“ art stratum”

plan view 02

street level “extention stratum”

plan view 03

terrace level “recreation stratum”

main entrance - park

terrace and restaurant

hall

view from the highway

ARCHIMIX

The project is developed within the context of the “Archiprix International Workshop 2019” in Santiago, Chile. For this activity, young architects from all around the world who have been distinguished for their thesis projects are invited to participate.

TUTOR

Antonio Lipthay DESIGN AND RESEARCH

Izolda Font (HU)

Joaquín García (CL)

Blanka Hrastnik (SI)

José Joglar (PR)

Diego Miranda (CL)

Ellen Rouwendal (NL)

Ignacio Lira (CL)

GRAPHICS

Izolda Font

Ellen Rouwendal

Ignacio Lira

3D MODELING

Joaquín García

José Joglar

Diego Miranda

PLANIMETRY

Blanka Hrastnik

The historic Franklin Neighborhood in Santiago has undergone radical changes in the last decade due to immigration processes and strong gentrification. Currently, it is an urban center with a strong commercial activity and an emerging cultural scene. For this reason, a mixed-use project is proposed to address the diverse needs of the current users. By inte-grating residential, commercial, and cultural uses, the spirit of the Franklin Neighborhood is revitalized, creating an attractive and functional space.

Archiprix International proposes a two-week intensive workshop where different groups develop architecture or research projects under the guidance of a tutor. This tutor suggests a theme and guides the design process to achieve a specific goal.

Led by Antonio Liphtay, architect, university professor, and co-founder of the renowned Chilean architecture firm “MOBIL,” the group focused on a tall building in Santiago’s Franklin neighborhood. This area holds significant historical importance in the city. The opening of the San Diego railway station in 1898, part of a route connecting key points in the capital, including the Santiago slaughterhouse, is a testament to this history. The latter building still retains its structure in the area.

The Franklin neighborhood boasts vibrant commercial activity due to the presence of “Persian” markets— commercial spaces located in former warehouses once

used by defunct textile companies. These markets, varying in formality, offer a wide array of products. In recent decades, this part of the city has undergone significant change due to a growing immigrant community living and working in the area, as well as a process of gentrification. The latter has transformed parts of the neighborhood into cultural centers or zones focused on art and gastronomy.

The project aims to embrace diverse users, including longtime residents, immigrant communities, and young “hipsters” who create an intriguing blend while living in community. It is based on a “slab and tower” system inserted into a grid, which encompasses not only residences and other functions but also empowers residents and business owners to be self-sufficient and adaptable to changing needs. By being positioned atop the core of the Franklin metro station, designed by “MOBIL,” the project benefits both residents and other flows entering this capital area.

NEBULA

“Nebula” was constructed as a set design for the photoshoot of the “Pensamientos Violentos” (Violent Thoughts) collection by Chilean fashion designer Martín Lüttecke. This collection and the photographs were published in national and international fashion press outlets such as Galio, i-D Latam, and Hunger Magazine.

DESIGN

Ignacio Lira

3D MODELING

Ignacio Lira

PATTERN MAKING

Ignacio Lira SEWING ASSISTANT

Sofía Persico

PHOTOGRAPHY

Noli Provoste

The shadows of our own ghosts emerge, like a dark nebula, a vast cloud of dust and gas in space born from the explosion of a dying star, unfolding over our thoughts. These are ethereal and enigmatic entities that overwhelm us, weaving the threads of our darkest reflections. Through a blend of digital and analog processes, the aim is to materialize these forms of internal monsters, thus giving concrete shape to our “violent thoughts”.

According to the designer, “Pensamientos Violentos” arises from the anguish of not finding a specific place to belong or not fitting into a heteronormative and patriarchal society. This idea is manifested in their designs through fitted silhouettes that gradually transition from black to pastel tones, as an act of liberation. However, the “shadow” of these situations that make us feel uncomfortable with our own identity always lingers. “Nebula” shapes that internal monster that, at times, wrongly reminds us that we are not enough and that we do not conform to the standards imposed by a conservative society.

To construct this volume, references have been drawn from thrillers and science fiction horror films that encompass retrofuturistic imagery (an aesthetic worked on by the designer for this collection), such as Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey,” Sidney J. Furie’s “The Entity,” or Ridley Scott’s “Alien.” These films propose enigmatic silhouettes that distance us from a concrete definition of boundaries. Space accidents or invisible beings manage to shape a coherent narrative for the creation of a volume that needed to appear imposing

enough to convey a certain discomfort but at the same time needed to be ethereal, like a cloud or a shadow awaiting its prey.

The creation of this volume merges digital techniques and analog manufacturing, from scale models to the final textile pattern-making. The process involved an interaction between digital and manual methods: after defining the geometry in 3D modeling software, a scale model was constructed that combined spherical sections of household objects. Then, a layer of plastered gauze was applied to this model, providing a thin surface for drawing manufacturing patterns.

Once the patterns were cut, they were scanned and traced in AutoCAD at a 1:1 scale for printing and transferring them to the selected fabric. After assembling the volume, it was filled with lightweight elements to allow it to be lifted during the photo session. In summary, this project aims to strike a balance between digital and analog manufacturing, using classic textile techniques to connect the physical proposal, the conceptual proposal, and the artist’s collection.

SELK’NAM

MEMORIAL ROUTE

Finalist Project. Archiprix International 2019. Selected as one of the top 22 architecture thesis projects internationally. Finalist Project. Archiprix Chile 2019. Winner - “National Thesis Projects Competition 2018”, Arquitectura Caliente Group. Chile.

THESIS

ADVISOR

Alvaro Parraguez

DESIGN

Ignacio Lira

Maximilian Nowotka MODELS

Ignacio Lira

keywords: art, decolonization, indigenous peoples, rural landscape

The Selk’nam people, originating from the island of Tierra del Fuego in the southernmost region of Chile and Argentina, were exterminated during the colonization processes with the aim of promoting local businesses centered around the livestock industry and gold extraction. The proposal suggests, through the reinterpretation of the Haín ritual, the creation of a route that seeks to commemorate this nearly extinct ethnicity and emphasize the Latin American austral landscape.

The colonization processes of the Chilean territory progressed gradually throughout the country. Some of the peoples inhabiting the central-southern zone strongly opposed the arrival of colonists, thus delaying this process in the southern region of Chile. It would not be until the late 19th and early 20th centuries when wealthy businessmen, focused on the livestock industry, especially sheep farming and gold extraction, began to settle in Tierra del Fuego, an island located 783 miles north of the Chilean Antarctic, considered the southernmost territory of the country.

Inhabiting this island were the Selk’nam people, nomadic gatherers with limited technological development but a vast spiritual world. As an ethnic group that based its sustenance on hunting and gathering, they began to rely on sheep, an animal introduced by the owners of Magellan ranches. To ensure the success of these businesses, the ranchers decided to exterminate this ethnic group, thereby achieving their extinction.

Currently, the Chilean government, indebted to all the indigenous peoples of the country, has promoted knowledge about them by expanding their culture and cosmogony. This is how the Haín ritual, the most important of the Selk’nam people, has become a popular event, especially due to the iconography of the body paintings used in it, interpreting the most significant spirits of their mythology.

Through this project, a staging or performance in the landscape is proposed, where a series of devices resembling memorials seek to materialize the personalities of these spirits. These spirits have been narrated by various anthropologists, such as the renowned Anne Chapman in the 1980s through interviews with the last Selk’nam woman living in the Argentine sector of the island. Additionally, this exercise proposes a new interpretation of the southern landscape of Chile, understanding its vastness and disconnection from the rest of the country, giving it a timeless character, marked only by the deterioration of its constructions due to climate and human intervention.