Umbrales de ensueño
A dream is the echo of reality; filtered and softened by memory, it drifts like something faint and elusive. The arch, a symbol of architectural order, is freed from its function: it no longer supports, but becomes a threshold between light and shadow, presence and absence. This intervention begins with the most iconic arch of the courtyard and allows it to dissolve under the logic of the dream; fragmented, repeated, and suspended, it unfolds like a floating constellation.
The installation is composed of white and iridescent organza veils, cut into arches of varying sizes and arranged at different scales: some monumental, others low to the ground, and some floating like windows. Behind one arch, another: glances that intersect, silhouettes that double; clarity and blur coexist. The fabrics trace soft curves that invite a free, wandering drift, while shifting light and the movement of visitors animate the veils and shadows, casting ephemeral reflections on stone and column. Like a dream, the installation imposes no path, only the desire to recognize, connect, and lose oneself.
Zhifei Xu, Zimo Zhang and Luis Medina (ELSE Design Studio).
THE AUTHORS
ELSE is an award-winning design practice made up of a group of designers from diverse backgrounds who share an interest in creating something intriguing. ELSE was selected as the young architecture practice of the year by Gooood and Archiposition in 2023. Key members involved in this competition are: Zhifei Xu, got his Master of Architecture from MIT and is a co-founder of ELSE, Zimo Zhang, got her Master of Architecture in ESA Paris and is a co-founder of ELSE, and Luis Medina, a Venezuelan architect based in Chicago. He’s now working in Studio Gang.
