>> Through theoretical references and specific ‘field’ observations in this environment, the students have managed to identify the spatial dynamics that condition the work
>> These are interventions or adaptations that consciously respond to the physical, symbolic, or social environment in which they are placed.
>> The project has culminated in a site-specific exhibition, “Vint olives trancades i un parell de Pinyols”, which was inaugurated this afternoon.
>> The central objective has been to foster a critical perspective that allows for an understanding of the historical and architectural implications of any space
ADEMA Fine Arts presented an exhibition this afternoon at the Son Puigdorfila building entitled “Vint olives trancades i un parell de Pinyols” (Twenty Broken Olives and a Pair of Pine Trees). The exhibition stems from a research project developed by fourth-year students focusing on the heritage, sustainability, and ecological culture of this area near Palma. The work, framed within the “Spaces of Intervention” course, has transformed the historic site into a setting that allows for exploring the relationship between art and architecture.
The learning project for this subject, led by professors and curators Beatriz Escudero and Francesco Giaveri, proposes a reflection on the exhibition space understood as an active element in the production and reception of the artwork. The professors explained that “the objective was for students to analyze how the place where a work is displayed conditions its interpretation and modifies the viewer’s experience in museums, galleries, alternative spaces, and public environments.”
This theoretical approach has been combined with fieldwork carried out at Son Puigdorfila, a former Mallorcan estate restored by the firm Aulets Arquitectes, led by Francisco Cifuentes and Sebastián Martorell. The architectural intervention has relied on local materials and traditional techniques associated with stone and wood construction, respecting historical memory while introducing a contemporary and sustainable vision of architecture. The use of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) for the interior joinery, doors, and furniture is also noteworthy, a choice that reinforces the commitment to sustainability.
During the workshops, students studied the spatial dynamics that influence the perception of a work of art and developed proposals specifically designed for this site. The pieces created are site-specific and relate directly to the restored architecture, the building’s history, and the layers of meaning that underpin the research project. According to the curators, “these are projects that can only exist in this place because of the dialogue they establish with the physical, symbolic, and social environment.” The central objective has been to foster a critical perspective that allows for an understanding of the historical and architectural implications of any space.
Finally, the teachers concluded that “the exhibition in Son Puigdorfila presents itself as a point of connection between university research and contemporary artistic practice within the framework of a project that has combined tradition and sustainability, a clear example of how architecture can engage with the past without abandoning the principles of sustainability that shape the future.”
Names of the 18 artists exhibiting works created specifically for this venue:
Paula Cheillada
Margalida Serra
Paula Pérez
Martina Pinosa
Doris Obermayr
Yaiza García
Óscar González
Daniela Cabezuelo
Elena Covas López
Javier Yin Chen
Valvanuz Ruiz
Andrea Molina
Ana-Mariya Hambartsumyan
Rebeca Morey
Aina Parpal
Laura Bibiloni
Celia Freire
Alba Bover
Mar Font
Anna Croce