Everywhere & Nowhere

Everything is connected. Pipes, tubes, wires and cables transfer physical and digital matter through vast infrastructural networks. These elements span cities, landscapes, continents and are often out in the open but when followed lead to no beginning or end, abruptly vanishing behind walls, into the ground or connecting to circuits and subsumed into a large whole. They have the characteristic of being ubiquitous while disappearing in plain view; they are everywhere and nowhere. The language of excess, fluidity, connectivity and transmission, are rendered in this space through the use of three materials: tubes, lights, metal. Lining the walls, ceiling and parts of the floor, visitors are immersed by the machine-like organs and red glow; all of which are familiar and at the same time alien.

The temporary installation was built in February 2022 on the occasion of the Urvanity Art Fair, dedicated to a new contemporary art that is held every year at the College of Architects of Madrid (COAM), and performed the dual function of presentation/conference space for public talks as well as a social gathering space with a small bar. While the physical space served as a central gathering point to connect people and ideas, the talks were also live streamed online to allow for remote access. The inspiration for the installation came after having visited a few construction sites where the same kind of tubes were seen in different circumstances such as partially submerged in the ground, or running along the side of a large wall. This extends one of the office's interest in finding new or slightly different ways of utilizing industrialized materials.

The project aims to tackle issues surrounding temporary installations and the construction industry's waste as well as people's appreciation for certain aspects of the built environment. 

Project by: Pareid
Drawings by: Pareid
Photos by: Javier de Paz García