How did
you become a designer/artist?
As a teenager I was certain I would be a mathematician,
but two years into college I had a change of
heart and started taking painting and printmaking
classes. A few months before receiving my BFA,
I began to incorporate architectural representation
techniques such as plans and axonometric drawings
into my artwork. The more I researched the subject
the more it clicked. Architecture offered the
right balance of subjectivity, logic, process
and beauty. A few months after leaving art school
I enrolled in the architecture masters program
at Georgia Tech.
Where are you from originally?
I grew up in Mexico City, but spent a lot of
summers in the US since my family is American.
My parents left the US in the early 60’s
to study and work in England, India, Australia
and finally in Mexico. I lived in Mexico until
I was 18, left to attend College in the US and
like often happens stayed. In the fifteen years
I’ve been here, I’ve lived in NW
Massachusetts, Washington DC, Atlanta, San Francisco
and Los Angeles. Fortunately, now that I live
in LA, it is really easy to go back to Mexico
City for a quick visit.
What are you doing now?
Last year, I took a one-year sabbatical to
do a second post-graduate degree. This time
it was on Metropolitan Research & Design
at SciArc. The program turned out to be just
what I needed! It not only taught me a whole
range of new skills, it also gave me the push
I needed to break out on my own. While I was
still at SciArc, David and I started planning
our new venture. In June, we launched Plasmatic
Concepts. We both feel strongly that a multi-disciplinary
firm is the right approach. We find that collaborating
on projects, given our different perspectives
gives our work greater depth. It is also really
fun!
What are your plans for the future?
I plan to stay in Los Angeles for a while. It
is a great city - there is so much happening
here! I would also like to spend more time back
in Mexico. David and I are currently speaking
with people in Mexico City about potential projects.
It would be great to do work there- it is such
a visually stimulating country! It would also
be great to have an excuse to visit our friends
& my family more often.
What American artist inspires you most?
I tend to like artists that are process oriented;
those that have a system or an action that they
constantly repeat to create an effect. Artists
like Jackson Pollock, Eadweard Muybridge, Rachel
Whiteread (she might be British) and my good
friend Mark Cottle.
What unlocks your creativity?
I feel inspired after going to an artist or
architect’s lecture. Even when I disagree
with their philosophy, I always feel like making
something when I get back to the office. |
