The project
We currently find ourselves faced with a void within the traditional, homogenous,
perfect urban landscape, and within this void, naturally, little by little
and totally unplanned, a small woodland has grown up. What should we do?
We like the idea of an open space and we like the trees, but we also wish
to reconstruct the solidity and physical presence of the old Plaza Belén:
Is this a paradox?
Our proposal is: a walled garden which will become the Flamenco City. We
don't aim to produce an urban icon-landmark, but rather a puzzle made up
of fragments, able to grow, able to integrate other buildings be they both
already existing or new.
The garden provides the heart of the Flamenco City. From this starting
point it can grow and spread in order to cater for newer needs and uses.
There is no rush and above all no architectural demands upon creativity
as the strategy of the project is not made up of just one single building,
but rather that of a (flamenco) city within the city (of Jerez).
A partially perforated wall follows the historic contours of the city.
Above the wall stands the tower, reminding us to a certain extent of how,
in architectural terms, the two towers of the Alcázar de Jerez seem
to strike up a dialogue with the nearby Cathedral.
The materialisation of the project reflects the traditional, stony homogeneity
of the old city, the perforated wall and the interior garden making up a
landscape of raised, overhanging and subterranean elements. A sense of harmony
exists between exterior and interior spaces. The Flamenco City is a radically
vital and contemporary platform for both performers and spectators alike.
The surfaces of the Flamenco City are made of concrete in situ ,
which is then perforated and artificially transformed, following the traditional
lines, shapes and patterns of Flamenco and Moorish ornaments: both traditions
being absolutely contemporary.
To be more precise, throughout the ages new sources of inspiration have
always existed for contemporary arts and culture: we come across them once
again in fusion, punk and rock music, in tattoos, symbols and a great variety
of creations. This is the decoration which impregnates the very concrete
of the Flamenco City.
Our proposal for Jerez may be understood to be an artificial, iconographic
topography, deep-rooted in flamenco traditions and everyday culture.
© Copyright
of proyect: Herzog & de
Meuron 2003
