Led by the authors Leonor Martín Taibo and Lidia San José Segura, this work connects, through five chapters divided into building typologies, architectural history with daily life, inviting readers to reflect on how places not only shape our experiences and memory, but are also a reflection of inequalities, revealing different ideas, social tensions, aesthetic choices and human wills.
The book ranges from the humble homes of the working classes to the grandiose theaters of the elite, from hospitals to grand mausoleums, each an example that speaks to a specific historical period and the profound changes that societies have experienced over time.
"A building has two lifes. The one imagined by its creator and the life it lives. And they are not always the same."
Rem Koolhaas.
In each of the five chapters of Invisible Places, the reader is introduced to examples of different architectural typologies: domestic, healthcare, educational, scenic or theatrical, and funerary. Along with the stories of the places and the tales hidden behind them, one can find images that tell how history and memory are intertwined.
The book is a constant invitation to look at space differently, to delve into the deepest layers of history that shape our reality. With this, the authors hope to awaken in the curious and history-loving public an interest in architecture and what it tells, where what is built serves as a testament to the aspirations, fears, and values that have shaped our domestic spaces or our cities.
"There is no worse agony than to carry with us a story that has not been told."
Maya Angelou.
Revealing the ideas and power struggles embedded in facades, forms, and materials, as well as the delicacy, dedication, and passion that underlie them, Invisible Places invites us to discover the image reflected in each era, where buildings go beyond aesthetic decisions and the physical to become witnesses to a continuous process of social and cultural transformation that can reflect both brotherhood and struggle.
Leonor Martín and Lidia San José address fundamental issues that constitute real contemporary challenges that challenge us all and influence the context and places we inhabit, which continue to determine how we live, learn, work, heal, and even die.
"There is probably no greater human achievement than to deserve love in the end."
Winter Diary, Paul Auster.
