• Agrela, Ángeles
• Anleo, Xoán
• Ataíde, Cristina
• Barco, Eduardo
• Berkowitz, Terry
• Bernardes, Marta
• Cano, Jorge
• Del Junco, Juan
• Gili, Jaime
• Gordillo, Luis
• Herrán, Juan Fernando
• Igualador, Alfredo
• Koch, Eva
• Kraviez, Gabriela
• Lizarazo, Luz Ángela
• Mayo, Santiago
• Meseguer, Rosell
• Peláez, Paloma
• Perinat, Eliana
• Quejido, Manolo
• Van de Mheen, Irene

• , Ifitry
• Morris, Nicole
• Quejido, Diego
• Wirth, Wolfgang
• Yeregui, Jorge

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Jorge Yeregui: Minimal landscapes.

SYNOPSIS

The series Paisajes mínimos (Minimal landscapes) is a conceptual exploration of the symbolic role of nature in contemporary cities.

The photographs in this series depict urban environments in which gardens are integrated into pre-eminent buildings, in parallel to the general spread of ecological thinking and the appearance of new interpretations of nature’s presence in town, from environmental commitment to “greenwashing”.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The perception of nature in history has evolved as the sharing of power between human beings and natural environment has been redefined.

This evolution has three major causes: an increased body of scientific knowledge on the ‘chaotic and irrational’ forces of nature, a largest capacity of predicting and palliating the effects of natural phenomena, and an increased awareness of the serious damage done to the environment by industrial and urban development.

Science reveals how progress has gradually relegated nature to a state of vulnerability in which it needs protection. In the face of the threat posed by climate change, a growing ecological awareness has spread to practically every sphere of life, from the use of environmentally friendly products in the home to the advertising campaigns of the big energy companies.

There were signs of this growing awareness already in the previous century. But it is in the 21^st century that humanity will have to focus on protecting and maintaining the natural spaces that hitherto have been preserved. Thanks to technological and scientific advances, part of the natural heritage that we have lost could be restored.

These advances in biotechnology and genetics applied in the various fields of the life sciences have enabled us to understand, to control and even to recreate the functioning of nature. Both biology and agriculture have focused some of their efforts on developing controlled environments that generate the optimal climate conditions for the evolution of each species, enabling the construction of complex artificial ecosystems, maintained and run by computers.

The recent spread of a more sustainable and ecological way of thinking has reintroduced nature into the city, not only in the so-called green spaces –parks and squares– but also in architecture itself.

The institutions and the big companies have incorporated environmentalist thinking into their production and communication strategies, promoting environmentally friendly initiatives, investing in projects that promulgate sustainable development and, to a large extent, giving their image a makeover with a ‘greener’ aesthetic.

Now that we are conscious about the effects that human actions have on the planet, and that a widespread process of growing awareness is taking shape, a new scenario is in place. This scenario requires to be thought and problematized. Debates are taking place in different disciplines (art, architecture, philosophy) on the convenient evolution for the relation between humans and nature. This is particularly important in the context of debating the management of the territory and the construction of a sustainable and ‘naturalised’ 21^st-century city model. The critical thinking and problematizing of these questions constitutes the thrust of Minimal landscapes.