Architecture is at the service of art and culture, strengthening its role in society and showcase its decorative potential. Ephemeral architecture can still be ‘immortal’, but as its name suggests, it’s usually temporary. These structures have a limited physical lifespan, but they are often remembered long after the event they were built for has closed its doors.
Here are five examples of ephemeral architecture.
Astral Bodies: an astral experience
esign Week 2019. It was a vehicle for presenting its new product: Fibracolour. ENORME Studio and Vitamin-arte accepted the challenge that the project presented. In order to showcase the many possibilities that this new material offered, the design team used the coloured wooden boards to create pieces that looked like objects that had fallen to Earth from “another world”.
The project won the 2019 Silver Emporia award for best ephemeral installation. It was so successful that it outlasted the event that it was created for – Milan Design Week.
Carmelo Rodríguez from ENORME Studio explained that they “used the same structure at seven different fairs, a feat that is almost unthinkable for this type of installation because they are always expected to be unique. We managed to do this by using props, lights, and interactivity with the help of the artists at Vitamin-arte. By doing this, we were able to reuse the meteorites at each installation, while creating a unique experience every time”.
“The FINSA Table”: an interactive table
Interactive, surprising, and creative. ENORME Studio came up with a huge, 60m2 table for the debut of Gama DUO by Finsa.
The interactive table allowed you to choose samples by swiping an interactive key over the material. The piece was divided into six smaller tables that acted as mini-showrooms for more intimate presentations.
Idols: ancient perspectives and scientific rigour for all
The team at Rocamora Diseño & Arquitectura have won many prizes for their work in museums and their ephemeral installations. Ángel Rocamora explains that ephemeral architecture involves “a lot more dialogue between the object and the viewer”.
This type of architecture tells stories through structures and reaches different sectors of the public, all the while respecting scientific rigour. Ídolos: Miradas milenarias (Idols: Ancient perspectives) is a great example of this.
This exhibition has visited many cities, from Alicante to Lisbon, and includes pieces from twenty different museums and two private collections. It’s a journey through 800 years of Spanish and Portuguese history that sheds light on how the inhabitants of Iberia “wanted to be seen”. In this exhibition, wood and stone symbolise the fine line between life and death.
Yecla: art hits the streets
Imagine if art took over the streets. Well, that’s exactly what happened at the Festival de Arte Arquitectura Efímera Yecla [C]reacción 2021, a reminder that, even during the pandemic, life must go on.
COVID-19 threatened to shut down the longest-running furniture fair in Spain,tbut industries, institutions, artists, and the people of the Murcian town of Yecla came together to make sure the event went ahead anyway. Using the designs of Ángel Rocamora, six temporary installations covered more than 11,500 m2 of the city.
Rocamora, who was particularly proud of this initative, explained that they “used a temporary architectural installation to represent the furniture industry of Yecla. We brought in tables made by carpenters, cages used to transport furniture, the wooden structures of sofas…to draw attention to the solid structure inside pieces of furniture, which symbolises the character of the Yeclanos that helped them face the pandemic”.
Showroom 360º: a suprise in the garage
Creativity, innovation, and design joined force at the Showroom 360º exhibition by the studio BoMa, which was held in the parking garage of an office building. The project won the Gold Emporia award for best non-travelling ephemeral installation.
The project’s objective was to capture the attention of visitors and pique curiosity and a sense of expectation, which it definitely did. The experience made sure that this ephemeral space left its mark on visitors.
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