NIERIKAGuadalajara, Mexico
Intervention at the heart of the Colonia Infonavit Independencia, close to the Jalisco Stadium.
The project covers 1.000 m2 of the sport courts, and the facades of the buildings facing them.
WIXÁRIKA INSPIRATION
In the wixárika universe, everything is related, everything and everyone is in constant communication.
People, plants, animals, the Sun, the air, water, the earth … all together we are part of the same universe, full of links that unite us with each other.
That is why, for this concept of Community, by the strength of community bonds to understand the world and by geographical proximity, we have chosen the Wixárika people as inspiration for our work.
NIERIKA
It is the transgenerational mirror of the Wixaricas. A place where different times adjoin.
An amalgam of energy that prolongs the wisdom of the ancestors in the following generations, and guiding them to build the future.
«The niérika allows the wixaritari to put order in their daily life, to live in unity in a world in which, otherwise, it would be chaotic and unpredictable.
It also allows them to relate the present with the past, and, for this reason, it allows them to live with awareness of their history and know that they are the ones who will design their own future » (Luz Chapela)
"FUI, SOY, SERÉ"
FUÍ, SOY, SERÉ (I was, I am, I will be) , represents the strength of the identity of the Mexican people. The richness of his past, the firmness to keep him alive in the present and the knowledge that in the hands of the people of today is keeping his identity beating in the future.
HI'IKURI
One of the main instruments of the niérika, is the Hi’ikuri (Peyote).
The ritual consumption of Hi’ikuri is associated with the ability to see, to understand the world from divine revelations. It provides a way to understand the world beyond the obvious.
TSIK+RI
It is a very important niérika.
The wixárika legend tells that Kayumarie, one of the gods of creation, looked through the Tsik+Ri to see the world in its entirety, and know that it was exactly what he wanted to create.
Therefore, there is a belief that the Tsik+Ri allows to see the unknown. It also serves as a guide, and as an element of protection.
COLOUR
The color in the Wixárika culture is also a guide, and an element of protection.
The colors of the work make reference to the fundamental triad of the wixárika conception:
Blue: TUTUTZI MAXA KWAXI (The creador)Red: TATEWARI (God of fire)Green: TUKUTZI NAKAWE (Grandmother Earth)
WORK PROCESS: COLLABORATION FROM THE COMMUNITY
The process has been developed together with the Department of Culture of Guadalajara, that took the challenge of activate the area through «Cultura Itinerante» activities, «Arte sin Paredes» and «Festival Sucede». The goal was to settle a more open social fabric, capable of embrace outside incentives, and prepare the community for the upcoming project.
Our first contact with the neighbors was through one of the surveys that let us to study the context of the area and create two design options.
After that, both design options were presented to the neighbors, so that they could vote. They finally chose Nierika.
The last stage was the execution, and also was conceived collaboratively.
Six unemployed neighbors were instructed to work in heights, and then hired to work with us.