As part of a workshop with students from the Profesorado Pueblos de América, led by their professor Paulina Vera, Jordi Colomer aims to re-contextualize the X-Ville project within Buenos Aires, specifically in the Villa 21-24 neighborhood. The original X-Ville project was undertaken in 2011 in collaboration with a group of residents from the city of Annecy, France. This endeavor draws inspiration from the writings of philosopher and architect Yona Friedman, particularly his books 'Utopies Réalisables' (1974) and 'Où commence la ville' (Manuels volume 1. 1975 - 1984). Colomer emphasizes that utopias emerge from collective dissatisfaction and, therefore, require a collective response to address the common dissatisfactions stemming from individual experiences. The collective aspect arises when both the dissatisfaction and the quest for solutions are shared—a concept referred to as a feasible utopia by Yona Friedman. Building on these ideas, Colomer encourages workshop participants to imagine alternative urban planning models that involve the residents as stakeholders. Both the production process, whose work relies on a series of collective agreements, and the conceptual elements underlying it challenge traditional hierarchies and categories that separate planners from receivers, authors from audiences. The workshop, participants collaboratively construct an imaginary representation of their ideal city, with certain elements being showcased in the video installation X-Ville at MUNTREF.
Benedetta Casini
