FULFILLMENT SPACES
17 Oct 2018, Mexico City, Mexico
Since the very beginning of humankind, the heart never ceases to strive for answers and the mind is always formulating questions. Indeed, this quest is what make us human: a being with a earthly and a divine condition, unendingly incomplete, utterly insatiable.
What does this have to do with architecture? And how come this narrative can take the form of a creative dimension for SLOT? Think about the magnificence of cathedrals, temples, palaces and great avenues; but also consider the domestic altars in the interior of the humblest remains of a Mesoamerican village or those enigmatic ritual mounds planned and constructed by Neolithic tribes. All ceremonial spaces are undoubtedly designed in terms of the Big Quest, and visitors commend them insofar as they serve to enhance their connection with themselves. Those who enter a “Fulfillment space” do so because they wish to occupy the space and interact with its substance, while allowing the space to inhabit them.
By working on the bridges between emotion, sensation and the intellect, SLOT designs fulfillment spaces –or ceremonial environments, whether or not they have a religious purpose– for the brave undertaking of reconciling being and nothingness: the paradox that lies at the core of the human condition.
Please note that cultural centres or habitats for leisure can also be sacred places, because they participate in our formation and call us back time after time. Ultimately, what can satisfy us? What things provide meaning? Though one might pursue anything for personal fulfillment, final meaning is determined by our immediate social context. The value we assign to objects, places and actions change with time, and that is an approach broad enough to serve as a design guideline for us.
Text: Pablo García
Graphic Design: Romain Roy-Pinot