El Arca
OAXACA, 2013
El Arca, 2013
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In March of 2013 we returned to the community of San Pablo Etla, Oaxaca, and the La Mesita site, for the third consecutive year. This year’s project, El Arca, is only steps from El Mirador and La Torre, forming a triangle of support for the eco reclamation work being done there.
This year’s project concept is simple – a vessel suspended within a exoskeleton. With all the structure on the outside, the interior of the vessel is a visually quite space where every little decision – puncture, plaque, etc. – takes on extra significance. Explorations of the site specifics during the workshop produced developments in the vessel design that are uniquely different than we expected.
El Arca was completed with 7 students, two local workers, three RAW staff and one volunteer Canadian carpenter in six days. This year’s students were from wide range of schools and cities including Syracuse, Oregon, Colorado, Florida A&M, U of MN, Brazil and Taiwan. The breadth of previous experience among the students couldn’t have been more varied, yet each found their voice in the work.