Communiqué 20 May: Alejandro Haiek Coll – Public Machinery

Focused on social and cultural dynamics, Alejandro Haeik Coll uses art, applied sciences and local intelligence to explore the role of public art and architecture in place-making. His lecture will focus on the aspects of his practice that generate architecture as an outcome of engagement witin local communities. He describes his practice as one of ‘slow architecture’ because of its process of engagement with communities. He will discuss his best known project, the Tiuna El Fuerte Cultural Park in Caracas (2006-ongoing) and the ways it makes use of resources in the surrounding community as a primary element of the design process. The talk will also discuss the effect and use of open source design elements within his practice and their function in relation to his extensive use of recycled materials.

Haeik Coll received a Masters in Architectural Design, (Honourable Mention) at the Central University of Venezuela, and has served as guest professor in Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica and the US. In 2013 he was awarded the inaugural International Award for Public Art, a prize co-founded by leading art magazines Public Art China and Public Art Review , with the aim of propagating knowledge about public art. He is coming to Auckland as part of the Elam International Artist in Residence Programme. While in New Zealand he will be working on a public project in Christchurch focusing on the post-quake environment and how to activate the city through a creative architectural project.