MAYTE ESPINOSA portfolio - 2011
http://www.mayteespinosa.com
Reflection Spaces The Principle of my work is based in the interactions between the human been within the space as a generative and dialogical component. I explore this thorough a mental perspective refection of the space, which has been extended to mi practice with the use of reflective materials. I work with the elements which allows us to configures the space such as architecture, objects and any living been. I alter them on reflective surfaces to create a new space where the known and the unknown can coexist in a new place “nonplace”; creating an overall personal experience when the viewer is being reflected in the artwork. I persuade to provoke the questioning of our presence in the space.
Espacios de Reflexión El principio de mi trabajo está basado en las interacciones de los seres humanos en el espacio tanto como un elemento generativo como dialogante. Exploro esto desde una perspectiva mental reflexiva del espacio, la cual se ha extendido en mi práctica con el uso de materiales reflejantes. Trabajo particularmente con los elementos que nos permiten configurar el espacio, tales como la arquitectura, objetos y cualquier ser vivo. Los manipulo o altero en superficies reflejantes para crear un nuevo espacio donde lo reconocible y lo irreconocible coexistan en un nuevo “no lugar”; creando una experiencia personal cuando cada observador se ve reflejado en la obra. La intención final de mi trabajo es provocar el cuestionamiento del espacio y nuestra presencia en él.
PROJECTS
DROPS
Drops- 2006, instalation blown glass, 7 spheres 15cms de diameter, Skateraw Project, Dunbar Scotland
After a walk through the outskirts of Dunbar in Scotland, I found a war trench made of colossal concrete blocks, in beautiful rectangles. Thanks to the rain, I realized that nature can to coexist with the human construction; the rain creates a link between the delicacy of the grass and flowers among the massiveness of the concrete blocks. This piece is an allusion to the drops of water which made possible the correlation between nature and the human creation. Drops are several resized drops of water in glass, where some glass conducts opens the space to nature. These drops of water create an integrated landscape between the green park and the concrete blocks.
Empire. (2011) Stuffed dog, bronze sculptures
Untitled. 2011 Street water meter, live native trouts
MIMICRY
Mimicry – 2006 silkscreen printing on mirror 295x128cm, Royal Botanic Gardens and Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh Scotland
This work is the respond to a window inside the gallery of Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh. The space has four big windows where you can see the garden; specifically in one of them there is a stunning view of a big green tree which represents the ideal of a green space. I create the same window just beside the original but this one was looking inside rather than outside, and it shows the same image but in red instead of the green from the garden. With this opposite symmetry I intend to create a mental and physical reflection of the components of the space, inside and outside, including the viewer as part of the dynamic of the piece which shows the changes with the light and with the people who pass by.
In organic lnd
In Organic land- 2007 transfer on mirror 332x122 Centenary Degree Show ECA, Edinburgh Scotland
Is an open window which looks through a dream, the artwork is composed by several mirrors which have a gap between each other like if there was some metal work, as used to be in old windows. This window is open to a dream space where we don’t see the outside we rather see inside, we see our reflection and the space that surround us as a vague reflection. The image printed on the window or mirrors is taken from the reality but rearranged in 360 degrees to generate a new space as we do in our dreams, we retake the spaces from reality and then we reconfigure them. All the elements together create a dream space where the viewer is part of it.
SUEﾃ前S DE NATURALEZA
Sueﾃｱos de naturaleza- 2011 transfer on mirror 180x85.5cm Museo Nacional de Arte, Mexico City
The print on the mirror and the foggy reflection are the physical interpretation of a dream, the image printed is taken from the nature and reconfigured in a kaleidoscopic vision as we do with dreams, we take something from reality and we transform it. The foggy image is the memory that we have of our presence in the dream, is just a vague silhouette. The divisions between the mirrors are the configuration of an old widow with iron divisions, the idea is to create the image of a window which is open to a dream and instead of looking outside is looking inside reflecting the space of the interior and the viewer.
rock shinning connection
Rock shinning connection- 2010 glazed porcelain and glass 350pieces each one 4.5 cm diameter, Banff Center, Banff Canada
It was created as a memory of the river stones from Banff Canada. I produced a series of porcelain and glass stones which have a connection with the water and with the land, as they site ones seemed to have it, I had the impression that everything was part of big natural machinery. The stones that I made capture the water, in the form of glass and they connect by a porcelain vortex with the land.
latest projects
Biography Mayte Espinosa is an architect and a visual artist who works in both disciplines creating links between them. Her media as an artist includes glass, ceramics, photography, video, installation and printing. She uses them to explore the connections between the human been and the space. She studied architecture at the Iberoamericana University and obtained a Master of Fine Arts with distinction by the Edinburgh College of Art. She has shown her artwork in Scotland, England, Germany, United States of America and Canada. She is in charge of the art section for the magazine Reconecta which explores the relations among nature and art.
She has been awarded in Scotland and in Mexico; recently she obtained a grant to do a residency at the Banff Center in Alberta Canada, where she continued her interdisciplinary work. She thinks is important to analyze an idea from diverse angles to find the most convenient media to materialize it, the intention is to blur the boundaries amongst media, then important is more a matter of thoughts.
Biografía Mayte Espinosa es arquitecta y artista visual quien trabaja en ambas disciplinas creando vínculos entre ellas. Como artista trabaja con vidrio, cerámica, fotografía, video, instalaciones y gráfica, utiliza estos medios para explorar las conexiones entre el ser humano y la naturaleza. Estudió arquitectura en la Universidad Iberoamericana en la Ciudad de México y obtuvo su maestría en artes con distición por el Edinburgh College of Art. Ha exhibido en Escocia, Inglaterra, Alemania, Chicago y Canadá. Como arquitecta lleva sus propios proyectos, que incluyen residencias, oficinas y laboratorios. Ha sido profesora en la Universidad Iberoamericana y profesora externa en algunas
univeridades de la ciudad. Está acargo de la editorial de arte de la revista Reconecta, que explora las relaciones entre naturaleza y arte. Ha sido premiada en Escocia y México, recientemente obtuvo una beca del FONCA para hacer una residencia en el Banff Center de Canadá, donde continuó con su exploración interdiciplinaria. Le parece importante poder considerar una idea desde diversos ángulos para ejecturala con el medio-técnica más conveniente, borrando las límitantes entre disciplinas.
Curriculum Vitae Mayte Espinosa Saldívar Architect and Artist Presonal Data: mayte.espinosa@gmail.com www.mayteespinosa.com Objective create a sensorial link between persons and the space in order to generate conscience of our role within the space and to generate consciousness of the effect of the space in us, My work is based on interdisciplinary work, basically between Architecture and Art. These create an expandedoverall vision of how we move within the space and how we process it in our life. Education MFA in Art Space and Nature at the Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland with Distinction Bachelor in Architecture at the Iberoamericana Universtity in Mexico City with Outstanding Academic trayectory Awards Scholarships and Grants GRANT FONCA National Trust in Culture and Arts (Mexico) Program of Interchange of Artistic Residence 20092010 At the Banff Art Center in Alberta Canada 2010
The Helen A Rose Bequest for distinguish artwork Edinburgh Scotland. 2007 International Scholarship form the Edinburgh Collegue of Art 2006-2007 Scholarship from the Counsel of Students from the Edinburgh Collegue of Art. 2006-2007 Lectures Universidad Latina de México, Guanajuato Mexico “Profesional Practice and Design” 2004 Academics Teacher at the Universidad Iberomericana “Introduction to the Architectural Computer Design” 2008 External Advisor at the Salle University for ”The XX Anual Congress of Architecture” 2005 Teacher at the Universidad Iberomericana “Introduction to the Architectural Computer Design” 2004-2005 Continuing Education The digital image in production of contemporary ceramics 2011 Ceramic finishing techniques and wheelpotter UNAM Laboratory. 2011 Portrait at the Active College of Photography in Mexico City. 2009
Glass Sculpture with “Los hermanos de la Torre” at the Xaquixe glass workshop in Oaxaca 2009 Sand Casting Glass with Christian Thorton at the Xaquixe glass workshop in Oaxaca 2009 Silk Screen Printing on Textiles at the Center of Design, Films and TV in Mexico City 2009 Digital Photography II at the Active College of Photography in Mexico City 2009 Digital photography I at the Active College of Photography in Mexico City 2008 Publications Lifting: THEFT IN ART, Atopia Projects as interview assistant. 2009 Exhibitions Mimicry - Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh January 06 Mimicry 2- Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh March 06 Drops- Skateraw Project, Dunbar April 06 Identity- dreams - Degree show, Eca, Edinburgh June 06, Swap, Newcatsle January 07
Offing, Skateraw project, Dunbar July 06 Time reflection- Degree show Eca , Edinburgh June 06 Boundaries1- Wysing Art Center, Cambridge May 06 Boundaries2- Wysing Art Center, Cambridge May 06 Ongoing view – Sleeper Gallery, Edinburgh January 07 Sullivan reflection- John David Mooney Foundation, Chicago February 07 Limina- , Cologne Germany, Ubermnfluss, March 07 In Organic- Centenary Degree Show ECA, June 07 Ongoing view- PointHotel, June 07 Portrait1- Gallery of the Active of Photograpy, November-December 09 Door of Light/Landscapes/Aesthetics- Gallery of the Active of Photograpy, December 09- May 10 Banff Space- The Other Gallery, Banff Center, May 10
Textos en español Drops
entre la naturaleza y la creación del hombre. Drops son unas gotas de agua agrandadas de vidrio, por la cual aparecen unos conductos de vidrio que abren el espacio a la naturaleza. Estas gotas de agua crean un paisaje integrado entre el verde del parque y el concreto de los bloques. Mimicry
Tras recorrer las periferias de Dunbar en Escocia, me encontré con una trinchera de guerra hecha a partir de bloques masivos de concreto en hermosos rectángulos. Gracias a la lluvia se ha dado lugar a la coexistencia entre la naturaleza y lo fabricado por el hombre, entre lo delicado de las flores y el pasto y lo corpulento de los bloques de concreto. La obra es una alusión a las gotas de agua que hacen posible esta correlación
Este trabajo es una respuesta a una ventana dentro de la galería de los jardines botánicos en Edimburgo. El espacio contiene cuatro ventanas desde donde se puede ver el espacio del jardín, en particular en una de
ellas se ve una vista espectacular de un gran árbol verde que representa “el espacio verde ideal”. Cree una ventana igual junto a esta, pero en ella se ve hacia adentro en lugar de afuera y muestra la misma imagen pero en rojo en lugar de el verde del jardín. Con esta simetría opuesta pretendo crear en el espectador una reflexión física y mental de lo que compone el espacio dentro y fuera incluyendo al espectador en la dinámica de la obra que muestra los cambios de luz y a las personas que pasan por ella. In organic LND
Es una ventana que se abre hacia un sueño, la pieza está compuesta por
diversos espejos que dejan una línea divisoria entre ellos cual si existiese una herrería como en las viejas ventas. Esta ventana está abierta hacia un espacio de sueño donde no vemos hacia fuera sino hacia dentro, vemos nuestro reflejo y el de nuestro entorno como un vago recuerdo, donde la imagen plasmada en el espejo o ventana es tomada de la realidad pero recompuesta en 360 grados para generar un nuevo espacio tal y como lo hacemos con nuestros sueños, retomamos un espacio de la realidad y lo reconfiguramos. Todos estos elementos juntos crean un espacio de sueño donde el espectador es parte de la obra.
Sueños de Naturaleza
que se abre a un sueño y que en lugar de ver hacia afuera ve hacia dentro reflejando al interior y al espectador. Rockshinning connection
La impresión en el espejo y la reflexión borrosa son la interpretación física de un sueño, la imagen impresa es tomada de la naturaleza y reconfigurada en una visión de caleidoscopio, tal y como lo hacemos en los sueños tomamos algo de la realidad y lo transformamos. La imagen borrosa es la memoria que tenemos de nuestra presencia en un sueño, es sólo como una vaga silueta. Las divisiones entre los espejos son como la disposición de una antigua ventana con divisiones de fierro, la idea es crear la imagen de una ventana
Creé una memoria de las piedras de río en Banff Canadá. Produje una serie de piedras hechas de porcelana y vidrio que tienen una conexión con el agua y la tierra, como parecían tenerla las del sitio, tenía la impresión de que todo pertenecía a una gran máquina de la naturaleza. Las rocas que cree capturan el agua, en forma de vidrio y se conectan a través de un vórtice de porcelana con la tierra.
Statement
Spaces of reflection The founding principle in my work concerns the interactions of human beings within space. Extending out of my architecture education, this interest is correlated with the particularities of site as: historical, physical extension and transformer of social interactions. I respond to these site conditions in two ways. The first is an investigation of initial precognitive reactions that arises through the immediate sensory experience of the space and resultant emotive response. The second is through research of the site; what makes that place distinctive in spatial configuration and its contextual situation. Through this approach I seek to address the physiological and mental process as a
reflection of how human beings perceive the particularities of spaces. With this I endeavour to understand space, not as a passive element, but rather as a generative and dialogical component within psychological experience. In particular this reflective aspect of the mental constitution of space has materially extended into my installation practice with a recurrent use of reflective surfaces, which problematizes the space, and provokes questioning of our presence in it. As reflective surfaces have the potential to suggest another space on the opposite side as it were - and at the same time reflect what is happening in the specific moment, creating a non-static space/place. I intend that this method allows the creation of, what could be termed, ´new spaces
activities of the senses plus the capacity of thinking and reasoning we are able to construct space. There are two basic concepts that structure this statement. One is based in visual aspects and the other is related with our experience. In relation to the first, space is primarily configured by the shape of the objects, the boundaries between objects delimits the space and thereby generates identity. Without this, the space would be unrecognizable for the reason that we can’t construct an integrated pattern. The second concepts relates to our prior experience “we have been able to become familiar with the things of our environment precisely because they have constituted themselves for us through forces of perceptual organization acting prior to an independent of, experience, thereby allowing us to experience them� . This second part is important in addressing the specifics of
individual places with their distinctive histories etc. The mirror or reflected surfaces, has interesting connotations in our perception of space, but more importantly this element is the only one which shows us our physical presence in the space and our role in it. As my approach to this element I take as my main influences, the perspective of the Argentinean writer and philosopher Jorge Luis Borges and the analysis of the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan. Borges understood the mirror as an element which represents a deep reflection of the self, which goes further than an illusory shape of the human being, the mirror shows the true . Moreover in the mirror is where we can find the essence of the self, because through it we can face ourselves. The mirrors are the sum and the essence of things, everything
can be captured through them, and therefore mirrors are containers of the whole. According to this, if we can have multiples and infinitude of images on a mirror, multiples and infinitude of meanings are also there. So the mirror opens a door of meanings and recognitions of the place, things and selves. Lacan understood the importance of the mirror as an element of identity. The mirror allows us to create a psychical map of the body in space. The mirror-stage, as he referred to it, is where we can identify ourselves . Therefore this stage represents an important part of our forming of identity. Prior to experiencing its own reflection the self does not realize about its shape and dimension in space, nor fully understand the role which it is playing in it. The mirror bestows recognition of the self from the outside, we see the “other” and the space which is surrounding
of reflection´. This exploration developed in my interest in camouflage as a concept, where two different elements recognise each other creating a third one created by the two of them. It is the coexistence of the static image on the mirror and the active reflection of the space and the self. Both, reflective surfaces and camouflage are used dependent upon the situation and context of the place. I am interested in the essential elements which allow us to perceive a space. My research looks for the manipulation or alteration of these elements in order to create a new place where the recognizable and the unrecognizable can coexist in a new “non-place”. Perceiving consists in the organization of: perceptual concepts . That means that through the elementary
us. The image of the reflection, the image of the “other” is the image of our auto recognition. Then the mirror not only shows us our identity as a person, also shows our identity in the space as part of a place, and moreover as part of a complex relation with others selves. Correlated to mirrors and reflective surfaces the concept of camouflage becomes a conceptualization of a new reflective place. The idea of camouflage was developed by Roger Caillois . He believed that camouflage in nature is based through the recognition of the same nature. Animals and plants recognise themselves as part of that which surrounds them. I am interested in this idea in a general sense; whereby elements are recognized as parts of a unit. My particular interest is where the unit is the nonplace or new place (created by the reflective surfaces), which make us conscience of
ourselves in the space. In this instance the camouflage is created by the coexistence of the viewer, the place and the new place that is generated in the ‘space of reflection’. I believe that boundaries between art and architecture are unrecognizable. I personally found that the work that I developed as an architect was more determined through scale than through meaning. Certainly with architecture it is more often related to the large scale, because the requirements ask of it. Yet in essence the work art and architecture both work through the same line, they care about expressions of matters. So what happens if art becomes huge, what if we change the scale in art, does this become architecture then? Art or Architecture? The boundaries become ambiguous, the names are merely an etiquette of how we perceive
space. Reinforcing this statement my research looks for and makes evidence of this fact, retaking architectural elements and working with them within an art context. For example, these elements could be windows or walls (examples that I already worked with), which incorporate printed components to express some specific idea within the specific piece. Also the installation with architectural elements, or any element which can alter the space unequivocally, also becomes a way to express my concerns about the boundaries between art and architecture. I find sympathy in my ideas within this quote from Jean Nouvel, “I think that the relation between arts and architecture is always a topic of today. The century XX tried to break that link, in a good effort. But the art must be in the architecture and must not be limited by museums. Is admirable when
the art is part of the city through the architecture, that’s why I always use the visual arts in my work” [My own translation from a Spanish text] In conclusion, my background as an architect has resulted in a special concern with nature of space and a specific set of skills to work with it. Plus my experiences with the ASN course have given me awareness of the ability to explore the extension of these ideas with art too. However I am conscious that with my practice I wish to avoid a strict differentiation between these disciplines and instead focus upon the mutability of space that is not restricted by categorisation.
Mayte Espinosa
MAYTE ESPINOSA http://www.mayteespinosa.com