RAINBOW of DESIRES _ Jose Alejo Rodriguez Cabrera

 

Aware about the problems that exist around social housing estate (processes of privatisation and gentrification) that often let people who lives in this kind of house voiceless, born, from a group of six members specialized in differents areas (architecture, social working, theatre, activism and performative spaces), a proposal that have one objective: give those affected people tools and ways to figth against this troubles. 

We are in front of RAINBOW OF DESIRES, a project located in the open spaces of Rhodes estate in Dalton and composed by a set of differents and small pavilions which provide spaces for workshops, interacts among neighbors and for communal everyday life (public seating area, an open kitchen, an exchange library, a cinema...). These pavilions are connected to a central area that becomes the central stage of the interactive Theatre of the Oppressed. The audience becomes active, such that as “spect-actors” they explore, show, analyse and transform the reality in which they are living.

This project have three parts or steps to make reality this proposal.

First Step _ Study and viralization

In this first part the group of the project they try to make a study about the possibles areas for place the set of pavilions, looking for advantages and disadvantages.

At the same time they would build visually-strong structures anouncing the event.

Second Step _ Setting the space and the stage

Time for study and configure the place choosed. Five pavilions (the cinema, the exchange library, the newspaper theatre, the break out space and the culinary workshop) gonna be located around a central area: the principal stage. 

The idea is interconnect all the pavilions creating a big area where the neighbors will interact with the activists and among them.

The base pavilion is designed in wood and it can be assembled relatively easy and quickly way. It's a cheap and simple construction that provides the many diferents necessary spaces for the communal live.

Third Step _ ACTION!

With the third step, this group want to make a real movement where the neighbors are those people that will figth for them homes and lifestyle. Trough a periodical workshop with the social housing tenants based on Boal’s techniques that use theatre as means of promoting social and political change.


I've choosen this project for two primordial reasons. The first one work with people and try to encourage them. In other hand  i think it is not the best way to face this kind of problems. At the end, this actions, activities and intentions ends in mere amenities and wotkshops with the main problem as background. But  that I do not like the chose of the way to raise the proposed objective does not mean that I do not like my the way. Maybe with another objective this kind of solution would be the correct one.

Golden Workshop

Relationated to this project I've founded this project called GOLDEN WORKSHOP where German architects modulorbeat and students from the Münster School of Architecture constructed a glittering golden pavilion to exhibit the techniques of medieval goldsmiths in Münster's central market square. 

The idea is to erect a small, attractive pavilion containing a gold workshop as well as an information point: a temporary construction for the duration of the exhibition that should reflect the exhibition theme and draw notice to the Domplatz.