Art project gives 'second life' to houses before demolition

In a poignant intersection of art and architecture, two modest houses on the verge of demolition have been given a vibrant, albeit temporary, new existence through an innovative art project. "Ecos del tiempo en una tarde de domingo" (Echoes of Time on a Sunday Afternoon), an initiative by Experiencia Laberinto, transformed these soon-to-be-lost spaces into a unique exhibition, embracing their ephemeral nature.

The project's core idea was not to preserve the houses but to acknowledge their impending disappearance and celebrate their final moments. Visitors were invited into the seemingly abandoned twin houses, where the existing domestic environments, worn floors, scattered debris, overgrown gardens, and marks of daily life, became integral parts of the artistic narrative. The architecture itself served as a canvas and a repository of memory.

Twenty-two artists, primarily photographers but also including installation artists and object creators, contributed to the exhibition. Their works were integrated into each room, creating a dynamic dialogue where the art transformed the space, and the space, in turn, recontextualized the art. This approach blurred the lines between the artwork, the environment, and the invisible histories of the former inhabitants.

Paula Palavecino, founder of Experiencia Laberinto, described the exhibition as "the action itself," emphasizing that the space was not merely a container but an essential component of the art. Ana Sánchez Zinny, a collaborating photographer and curator, noted how the project allowed "the works to transform the space and, at the same time, the space to resignify the works." The project offered a ritual of farewell, imbuing the final days of these homes with creative energy and collective memory.