La contemplación de un límite

Chávarri Estudio (Pedro Chávarri, Esteban Gigoux, Tomás Sherwin)
Paseo del Ebro

A boundary is defined in particular as a border, the end of something and the beginning of something else. An imaginary line separating two elements.

A border can also be understood as a limit or boundary of something in relation to something else, which in the case of a river, is determined by the width of the waterway it separates. Therefore, something that in the mind is an abstract border, in reality acquires a thickness and a distance between both banks.

This thickness of the river in its length invites us to ask ourselves what happens in between and how the other bank is composed. From this questioning and, in turn, from the understanding of the “other”, contemplation arises.

It is precisely the empty space between the façade of the Casa de las Ciencias and the river bank, 55 metres long and 6 metres wide, that is the ideal place for contemplation.

Considering the interaction between person and river (contemplation), the relationship between the available space and the person (inhabiting) and the discipline of Design seen from the development of made-to-measure furniture, the following questions arise:

1. What can we do to make this abstract limit thicker? By giving meaning, by providing the space with equipment that allows us to take into account the environment and its conditions.

2. How can something stripped of everything be inhabited? By constructing a landmark that invites people to stop and providing it with an attraction that attracts attention both near and far.

3. What should the landmark look like in order to approach the river from this location? The landmark, from now on called a device, should invite the user to change the perception of the surroundings and make him aware of his position in the urban space.

4. How is this device conceived? It is conceived from the experience of the trade and the analysis of the available space. From the observation it is concluded that the intervention must be of a reduced size, which can be achieved through the construction of a repetitive module which can be designed as a made-to-measure piece of furniture, defining its dimensions by the spatial use and the use of the material.

Modules of the device

The device is composed of a metal structure of 40x40mm profile and rectangular profile of 40x20m profile, covered with Garnica Efficiency Poplar board painted red (Hex. #FF0013), to take care of the relationship it has with the Science House. It will have a 1” electro-metal tube railing painted red to match the cladding and a commercial beach umbrella of choice depending on availability and supply.

In relation to the 33 Efficiency Poplar boards provided for the installation, the material is sufficient to cover 6 modules.

The piece of furniture/object will be presented as an approachable landmark, which, like a chair, will invite passers-by to stop, gain height and change their perception of their surroundings, opening the way to contemplate this “abstract boundary between the shores” as a thickness composed of edge and river.