Journey through the States of the Word

Journey through the States of the Word, is a interactive installation that pays tribute to the work of Gabriel García Márquez from the intersection of technology, literature and ephemeral architecture.

Designed for ARCO 2015, with Colombia as the guest country, the intervention takes as its starting point the author's speech "Bottle in the sea for the god of words" (1997), where he calls for freeing language from its normative ties.

On this journey, the public travels through a textual ocean which unfolds through collective readings, digital art and 3D manufacturing, transforming the exhibition space into a sensorial and symbolic drift through the literary universe of the Colombian Nobel Prize winner.

Detalle de palabras impresas en 3D en color blanco, exposición Travesía de Estados 2015
Vista frontal de montaña de palabras, exposición Travesía de Estados 2015

"On this journey, the word is not confined to a book or a frame: it is heard, printed, and touched to give shape to the space."

Strategy

The project strategy is based on an expanded translation idea: converting the word into a physical, collaborative and technological experience.

The space is organized as an immersive sequence, beginning with a collective video projection of Colombian artists reading fragments of García Márquez's work. From this reading, 50 3D printers work tirelessly to transform those words into three-dimensional objects, generating a constantly changing environment.

The installation not only allows us to explore the author's literary legacy, but also reactivates it and delivers it to the public in a sensitive, manipulable, and transformative form.

Detalle de máquinas de impresión 3D y palabras, exposición Travesía de Estados 2015
Vista general de las máquinas de impresión 3D y montaña de palabras, exposición Travesía de Estados 2015

Impact

Journey through the States of the Word, builds a unique experience of cultural appropriation through a radically contemporary expository language.

Instead of a conventional exhibition, the project proposes a living, generative and participatory installation, which breaks down the barriers between reader, author and work.

By activating technology as a tool for poetic mediation, an expanded reading experience is generated where the visitor becomes an accomplice to the transformation.

Beyond the tribute, the installation becomes a collective rewriting exercise, of liberation of the word and of critical updating of the shared cultural legacy.

Detalle del diseño de palabras impresas en 3D con máquinas, exposición Travesía de Estados 2015

"Every printed word breaks down the barriers between reader, author, and work."

Vista lateral con detalle de personas en la montaña de palabras, exposición Travesía de Estados 2015
Mural informativo con frase de la exposición Travesía de Estados 2015
Detalle de máquinas de impresión 3D imprimiendo palabras, exposición Travesía de Estados 2015

year of construction

2015

total built volume

(adaptable to space)

total built area

120 m² approx.

customer

Telefónica Spain

Embassy of Colombia in Spain

location

Madrid (Spain)

situation

Finalized

typology

Ephemeral

Art

Institutional

Innovation

Culture

disciplines

Ephemeral Architecture

Pavilions & Exhibitions

Experiential design

Participatory installations 

Comprehensive Management

Specialized consulting

impacts

Differentiating Concept

Institutional prestige

Greater social value 

Precision and innovation

Constructive excellence

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