Starting on 21 October, ‘Far Away So Close’ (MEATS 19-20) will be installed in three different locations in Olot during the next 9 weeks to foster civic interaction in times of pandemics. First, it will be in Parc Espunya, a public park next to Fluvià river, then it will be moved to Bonavsita neighbourhood and will finish its journey in Pla de Dalt.
"FAR AWAY, SO CLOSE," Press Release
Master’s degree in Ephemeral Architecture and Temporary Spaces (MEATS). ELISAVA School of Design and Engineering. http://meats.elisava.net/
‘Far away, so close’ is a proposal developed in the unit that MEATS dedicates each year to emergency architecture. The global pandemic generated by the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 has prompted us to focus our energies on studying its effects and on offering ways of improving this new reality, which is ours for the foreseeable future.
‘Far away, so close’ began with extensive research into how the pandemic is transforming the organization of our domestic and collective habitats, as well as the effects of these changes on the physical, mental and emotional health of our society. One of the main conclusions of this research is the urgent need to revise the concept of social distancing, a controversial notion that could have devastating consequences if, as can be expected, this new reality persists over time.
Now is the time for new proposals that posit physical distancing as an opportunity to generate dynamics that foster empathy and social cohesion, steering clear of regulatory and coercive solutions that merely offer diminished versions of the experiences we had before the pandemic.
‘Far Away, So Close’ proposes a new dynamic for relating in collective space that harnesses physical distance as a factor for activating and intensifying intimate relationships. The social distancing implemented in response to the pandemic is understood as an opportunity to create interaction instead of isolation. A series of mobile sound mirrors installed in public space engender different modes of interaction through the logic of play: a giant game of Chinese whispers; a concert where the music is heard on separate tracks; a personal message conveyed across a crowded square...
‘Far Away, So Close’ lets us whisper a secret from 20 metres away, an intimate experience made magical by distance.
The project was conceived, developed and built entirely by MEATS students and by their professors Xevi Bayona, Toni Montes and Roger Paez. It received support from the Olot City Council, and the first installation in public space took place in the Firal in Olot, on 17 July 2020.
MEATS Workshop in Olot, Spain
In keeping to the CO-VID precautions imposed within the country, our team spent a part of the time co-living and working at Xevi Bayona’s workshop.
‘Far Away, So Close’ began with extensive research into how the pandemic is transforming the organization of our domestic and collective habitats, as well as the effects of these changes on the physical, mental and emotional health of our society. One of the main conclusions of this research is the urgent need to revise the concept of social distancing, a controversial notion that could have devastating consequences if, as can be expected, this new reality persists over time.
BTS + ÀNIMA, Light as an Immersive Experience
When we were presented with the opportunity to create an immersive lighting experience for one of the biggest light festivals in Barcelona, our level of excitement was equally met with a few challenges--from our restrictive site location to the newly enforced regulations on participating (and future) projects--thus, we began to adopt a strategy that focused on methods of low-tech yet high impact.
Equal in challenge to the conceptual solution was the production aspect. With a strategy in place, we focused on using minimal materials in the installation to highlight the importance of light as a primary material and to avoid having large amounts of unresolved materials once the festival was over.
Fiber optics were chosen as the lighting component, in part due to its versatile nature, flexible application, and low impact on the environment--low energy consumption, heat-free illumination, and its ability to be recycled or upcycled.
BTS + ÀNIMA, Llum Festival 2020
BTS + ÀNIMA, Installation on-site
With Anima set to be a long tunnel of fiber optic lights suspended from the ceiling of the structure, the construction process needed to ensure that the final iteration used the least amount of materials, while meeting the expectations of a fully immersive experience.
BTS + ÀNIMA, Contextual framework representation
The installation uses the light you see through the fiber as a metaphor for all the collected digital souls. The light consistency shows that we were all part of an unlimited file system. Every light is so intense like the others, simulating data frozen over time, which serve as a reminder of equality human. Privacy will never be ours again, now we are all transparent. At 22 District, our lighting installation becomes a center of mass-collected thoughts and memories. These memories are not of a certain moment, nor of specific people; they have no identity and make us one more. Some of them died and some are still alive alive. Our data will transcend our human capabilities, becoming tools alien to us.
For all the information that time has preserved and will continue to maintain, our existence is an ephemeral entity; without power, it can only be visualized and felt, but it cannot be altered
Main subjects of the study
A. History of LLUM and Poblenou
B. Installation Art
C. Lighting Sector
D. Temporality and effects
E. Construction, materials and life cycle
F. Narrative, Interaction and Visitor’s Experience
G. Experience within MEATS, Festival & ANIMA
