This is the first time that an interdisciplinary work duo has received the Award for Excellence in Artistic Creation, and it’s also the first time it’s been granted to a professor from the School of Design. The collaborative work of these professors has resulted in various works related to exhibition curation and book publication. These works are the outcome of interdisciplinary research that combines architecture, design, technology, film, and art, addressing multiple local and global subjects of study. Professors Alonso and Palmarola have conducted their work in Chile, as well as in Europe, Latin America, the United States, and Russia.
Pedro Alonso holds a Ph.D. in Architecture from the Architectural Association, London (2008), and he is a Master of Architecture and an Architect from UC (2000). Hugo Palmarola holds a Ph.D. in Latin American Studies (2018) and a Master’s in Industrial Design (2010) from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and he is a UC Designer (2004). Both Professor Alonso and Professor Palmarola are associated with the School of Architecture and the School of Design, respectively.
They were awarded the Silver Lion for the Chilean Pavilion “Monolith Controversies,” a pavilion they both curated in the context of The 14th International Architecture Exhibition of the Biennale di Venezia (2014), directed by Rem Koolhaas. This project has been part of the permanent exhibition at the Museum of Memory and Human Rights in Santiago since 2018.
The work of this architect and designer duo has been praised by Pippo Ciorra, a renowned Italian architect, critic, and academic, who stated that “Monolith Controversies” was “an effective and concise exhibition event, sharp, brief, and straight to the point” (Il Manifesto, 2014). On the other hand, Nelly Richard emphasized their work on “the social and political memory of objects” (The Clinic, 2015). Recently, Martín Tironi pointed out “a necessary spirit of ‘undiscipline’ regarding certain epistemic canons, combining conventional historiographic analysis with the art of thinking through action” (Faktur, 2020).
Alonso and Palmarola curated the interdisciplinary exhibition “Flying Panels: How Concrete Panels Changed the World” at The Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design (ArkDes) in Stockholm (2019-2020). They have also curated and participated in exhibitions at the Architectural Association in London, Pratt Institute in New York, Centro Cultural São Paulo, Triennial of Architecture in Lisbon, Istanbul Design Biennial, Princeton University, Tensta Konsthall, and The Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (KTH), Forum d’Urbanisme et d’Architecture in Nice, Liga Gallery in Mexico City, and MAK Center for Art and Architecture in Los Angeles.
Both of them are authors of the books “Panel” (Architectural Association, 2014) and “Monolith Controversies” (Hatje Cantz, 2014), a publication that received the DAM Architectural Book Award from the Deutsches Architekturmuseum. They have also authored “Flying Panels: How Concrete Panels Changed the World” (Dom Publishers – Ediciones UC, 2019), a book currently nominated for the Dennis Sharp Awards for Architectural Criticism 2020 – Julius Posener Exhibition Catalogue Award – by the International Committee of Architectural Critics.
Palmarola and Alonso are researchers on two Fondecyt projects related to the history of the Soviet observatories in Pulkovo and the American NASA satellite stations in Chile and Latin America (2014-2016 / 2019-2021).
On this occasion, the jury for the UC Award for Excellence in Artistic Creation was chaired by the UC Vice Chancellor, Mr. Guillermo Marshall, and composed of Ms. Paz Errázuriz, a photographer and National Prize in Visual Arts recipient in 2017; Mr. Humberto Eliash, an architect and President of the Chilean Architects Association; Mr. Pedro Bouchon, UC Vice Chancellor for Research; and Ms. Miryam Singer, UC Director of Arts and Culture. They all agreed on the international projection of this duo, as well as their impressive ability to select a theme and explore it from an innovative perspective, generating new narratives and views on history and its architectural and object-related components.
You are invited to learn more in the following video:
Realización audiovisual: María Luisa Furche.
CHECK OUT THE OTHER WINNERS OF THE #ArtisticCreationAwardUC
More information about applying for this award can be found here.