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AVENIDA IXTAPALUCA (HOUSES FOR MEXICO) (2009)


 Ixtapaluca is one of the cities of the outskirts of Mexico DF. Suddenly, an urbanization for 80.000 people living in small identical houses appeared there. The neighborhoods distinguish each other only by the color of the facades. However, life runs in the streets and people debate themselves in transforming that imposing geometric organization into a real city. They place provisional markets, build apartments on top of the roof, use the gardens, paint the houses in a different color… Though maybe this kafkanian planification will swallow them…

Architecture suggests possible worlds, ways of life. Some purely iconic architecture, are only empty scenarios, a show of light and color. The original prototype is that of ‘gringa’ periphery. Someone said it incarnates “middle class utopia”. Individual little houses with a small garden, repeated infinitely. People living there are like small Sims answering to limited inputs. In fact, in Spain, we have lived that famous implantation of the paired house that only allows imagining a single life model, formatted… But that idea of prototype can lead to unforeseen surprises when applied to reality. When architecture identifies with a form of imposed power, one should act as the architect of his own life.
In the video, the neighbors pass each other the Buzz Lightyear ‘piñata’, by turns… and the last one is a man with moustache, that has a worried face and then seems hopeful about the future… is going somewhere. Reminds the last scene of “the bicycle thief”, where father and son, after the war and with all the difficulties and no bicycle, continue because they don’t have a choice.
The ‘piñata’ is a very popular object in Central America, with a long history and its imagery has been changing. 
The astronaut is a hero from the future that has almost disappeared in our imaginary. Actually, it is a cold war hero. In the movie Toy Story, there is another imposed older model as space conqueror, the cowboy; the American west pioneer. In the video, Buzz Lightyear metaphorically represents the presence of the US through its industry and placed in the context of Mexican outskirts alludes to the idea of frontier, and not only physical.


CLICK  HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO ON VIMEO
Avenida Ixtapaluca (houses for mexico) (2009) Martí Peran (eng)

H art international #57. Jordi Colomer, Cyprien Gaillard, and aernout mik go west: destination Mexico. Sara Demeuse (2009) (pdf/eng)

Reforma.Urbanismo Rocambolesco. Cuauhtémoc Medina  (2009) (pdf/esp)

El Cultural. Jordi Colomer. Bea Espejo (2009) (pdf/esp)

interview fuegogratis, LAA Mexico (2009) vide
2009
Video et salle de projection
Master HD
6’ en boucle
Son
Édition de 5 et 1 AP

Avec: Ismael Díaz, Maria de los Angeles Rivero, Eric Jaime Rivero, Ariana Ivonne Rivero
Production exécutive: Carolina Olivares
Assistant á la production: Iván Volovsek
Caméra: Rodrigo Avilez
Son: Sofía Ruiz
Photographie de plateau: Ximena Labra
Montage et post-production vidéo: Adolf Alcañiz
Post-production son: Viuda Xing Pirata
Produit par: Co-producciones (Barcelona), Maravills (Paris)
Avec le soutien de: CCEMEX, CoNCA
Remerciements: Arts Santa Monica (Barcelona) 7 Bienal del mercosul (Porto Alegre, Brazil), Laboratorio Arte alameda (Mexico City), Jorma Saariko (PROAV
EXHIBITION VIEWS

Avenida Ixtapaluca (houses for mexico). 7ª Bienal del Mercosul, Porto Alegre 2009




Avenida Ixtapaluca (houses for mexico). Laboratorio Arte Alameda, Mexico DF 2009