The project refers to the circles of change. Demolish to rebuild. Disconnect to reconnect. On how materials convey influences, functions, and shapes that layer the heritage of the places they originate from. In relation to memory overlap legacy and place-belonging. Inspired by the ruins as a testimony of resilience, the work explores absence as a prelude to presence. Decline and rebirth. Buildings are material depots in a circular flow of thinking. They highlight the idea of nature as a construction, allowing to connect contexts and understanding the evolution of life and aesthetics. They stand as a testament to resilience and adaptation. Traces of the place are imprinted, leaving their entropic presence. To feel the space expanding the photographic image, I blend memory, environment, and perception using found materials to allude to its ancestors. In terms of our relationship with materiality, gold is loaded with symbolism. I take the idea of revaluation to think the future from the stories behind.

Heritage is a system of meanings. What remnants need to be recovered? What makes a place to be alive? How do we treat our urban legacy, regardless of the time period? The past is shaped by the present. Notions such as tradition, future use, human displacements, environment, and preservation often collide. Inquiring about progress with the narrative of revival, from which to learn, examine, and critique modernism ideals is a key way to reshape our collective values for a world not yet built.

Andrea Alkalay is a visual artist currently based in Argentina with a degree in Industrial Design (UBA ). She was trained in art-photography attending workshops and residency programs, experimenting with alternative techniques and creative processes. Her skills in design and the artistic practices are interconnected. She uses materials as tools to underline ideas. Form, function, and language are important considerations in her work. She thinks through the image, looking for the poetic and political potential that arises from the observation, exploring photography’s ability to manipulate perceptions of reality. She is interested in the discrepancy between what we see and what we know, where these qualities contradict each other and coexist simultaneously. Her work expands the limits of photography towards other disciplines such as collage, embroidery, and painting in order to imprint a multiplicity of visions.

For more information, visit: www.andrealkalay.com
Interview with Andrea Alkalay here