Description of project by elii
Infinite surface to infinity
Stand for the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) in the ARCO International Contemporary Art Fair.
The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) deploys its activity in more than 30 countries through its Technical Cooperation Offices, Cultural Centres and Training Centres. These nodes serve as the bases from where to tackle globalisation by implementing various work programmes. In short, the AECID is a network, a matrix to connect and interact with various contexts of the world.
The AECID space in the ARCO 2018 International Contemporary Art Fair is another node in this network, so its stand in this edition of ARCO transcends its physical boundaries and becomes a link to other geographies, other cultures, other scales, other temporalities, other languages, other technologies. ARCoop is an infinite surface, an opening that connects the circuits of Contemporary Art and the cross-border matrix of the AECID. It is an effort to understand ARt and COoperation (AR-CO) from experience.
Visitors to the fair will discover that one of its main corridors has no end: eerie infinite depths framed by abstract geometries invite visitors into a new dimension. On the other side lies an indoor space, a quiet haven away from the bustle of the fair, with a series of images and videos floating on one of the walls. These videos and images are zooms into the network: a collection of snapshots of the various social, cultural and artistic activities that the AECID performs throughout the world. Little by little, the visitors’ eyes grow accustomed to the dimness and notice that the ceiling and walls fold upon themselves to frame the images and form a bench. After a rest, it is time to return to ‘the other dimension’ to proceed with the visit.
New stand of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) for the ARCO International Contemporary Art Fair 2018.
The work, designed by the elii studio, is a "door to another dimension" in which the access gives the feeling of being an endless corridor. On the other side the visitor will discover, protected from the bustle of the fair in this "new dimension", a series of images and videos that show the different social, cultural and artistic activities that the AECID performs in the world.
More information
elii is an architecture practice founded in Madrid in 2006 by Uriel Fogué, Eva Gil, and Carlos Palacios. Their professional practice extends to teaching (Madrid School of Architecture, ETSAM; Columbia University in the City of New York, GSAPP; École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL) and research. elii participated in the Spanish Pavilion at the 18th (2023) and 15th Venice Architecture Biennales (2016, the latter awarded the Golden Lion). They were invited to participate in the 24th Milan Triennale International Exhibition (2025). Two of their projects have been shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture: the Mies van der Rohe Award (2015, 2019). They were recognized, among others, with the Casa de la Arquitectura Award in the ES_INNOVACIÖN category and the ALDES Award for the best project in sustainability, decarbonization, or greater self-generation of energy in a building, Rebuild (with Husos, 2026); the Holcim Awards Gold Award 2023 (with Husos and Ultrazul, sponsored by the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation). First Prize COAM (2017) and COAM Award (2018, 2016, 2013, 2011, 2006). FAD Ephemeral Interventions Award (2020). FAD Opinion Award (2005) and Finalist and Selected for the FAD Award (2023 and 2017; and 2020 and 2018, respectively). Their work Yojigen Poketto was selected as one of the 20 visionary domestic spaces of the last 100 years in the exhibition 'Home Stories 100 Years, 20 Visionary Interiors', at the Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein (2020). They are authors of the books: 'Super Petites Maisons' (EPFL, 2022), 'Traspasar los límites' (CentroCentro, 2020), 'What is Home Without a Mother' (HIAP – Matadero Madrid, 2015), awarded at the XIII Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism 2015, and co-editors of the publication UHF, included in the Archive of Creators of Madrid.
Published on:
March 10, 2018
Cite:
"Stand 104 VAV for the AECID in ARCO international fair by elii" METALOCUS.
Accessed
<http://www.metalocus.es/en/news/stand-104-vav-aecid-arco-international-fair-elii>
ISSN 1139-6415
