The Basque Country International Architecture Biennial Mugak/ has already selected the three ephemeral architectural structures that will occupy emblematic squares in the three capitals of the Basque Country. The jury met last week to issue their decision after receiving numerous proposals within the Onsite Mugak/ call, focused on the design of these temporary interventions: architecture professionals from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Brazil, India, and South Africa have sent their proposals for the three Basque squares. At the national level, designs have arrived from Barcelona, Madrid, Murcia, A Coruña, Cantabria, Oviedo, Pamplona, Valencia, Granada, Palma de Mallorca, and Girona, in addition to the Basque Country.
The three winning projects of this edition of OnsiteMugak/ address the theme ‘Castles in the Air, or How to Build Utopia Today’ from complementary perspectives. ‘Etxenoi’ will be located in the Plaza de las Mujeres in Bilbao, a proposal that, through reused materials, reinterprets architecture as an exercise in collective responsibility. The esplanade of Alderdi Eder, in front of the San Sebastián City Hall, will be the stage for a claim of collective care thanks to ‘Lightness and Denunciation: Embroidery as a Feminine Utopia’. Lastly, in Vitoria-Gasteiz, a wall will divide the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca through ‘Utopia: No Trespassing’, a proposal that will question the existence of borders and invite citizen participation.
Visit the Mugak/ website for more information.