Sofia Saavedra Bruno is next guest in the sofa-talk. We will talk about how experimental pedagogy and action research allow to expand the commons. Sofia Saavedra Bruno is member of Supersudaca (2001- ongoing), a collective that practices “direct architecture” in the blind spots of architecture and urbanism. The method is inspired by everyday practices in Latin-America but used for self-initiated actions. The same method of direct architecture has been used in the program Kana Nos Kosta (Walk our Coast) on Curaçao, rethinking the oceans as commons in order to reclaim the beaches of Willemstad. Later the action led to the illegal occupation of beaches with self-made constructions. The goat became emblem of the movement. Sofia continued the work in the PHD-research at (KU Leuven) on slow paths in Mortsel-Wilrijk (Belgium) and rethinking these as commons. Also, the form of action research was considered a performative common, such as camping on-site. Currently Sofia works as complex project manager at ORG Permanent Modernity. Sofia is lead in the projects ‘Strengthening socio-ecological resilience in desert regions’, in collaboration with Habiba Community. Alternative narratives on the acacia tree are used to engage Bedouin communities in climate adaptive agriculture. Another project is the participation part of the park development along Rio Pirai in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. The mythological figure of jitchi is used to rethink the river as commons.
Date: Thursday 24 October 2024, 6pm
Venue: the bar of Meurop, Paleizenstraat 65
Some useful links:
- Supersudaca in Praxis 10
- Review ‘Incomplete works (2O years Supersudaca’ by Marina Otero on Archined
- Kana Nos Kosta
- Article on Kana Nos Kosta in Curaçao by Sofia Saavedra Bruno & Felix Madrazzo
- Newspaper article on the goat-movement
- Documentary on the workshop led by Alejandro Echeverri (EAFIT Medellin)
- Paper ‘Making Slow Path’
- Natuurpunt on Trage Weg Maken
- Article ‘Radical Pedagogies and performative action research as practices of commoning’ plus Images
- Strenghtening socio-ecological resilience in desert regions
- Oranjewerf in Amsterdam
The sofa-talk program is part of the Architecture & Activism seminar organized by Gideon Boie and Lieven De Cauter. Poster by Sherman Lam.
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