Stand for the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) in the ARCO International Contemporary Art Fair

The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) deploys its activity in more than 30 countries through its Technical Cooperation Offices, Cultural Centres and Training Centres. These nodes serve as the bases from where to tackle globalisation by implementing various work programmes. In short, the AECID is a network, a matrix to connect and interact with various contexts of the world.

The AECID space in the ARCO 2018 International Contemporary Art Fair is another node in this network, so its stand in this edition of ARCO transcends its physical boundaries and becomes a link to other geographies, other cultures, other scales, other temporalities, other languages, other technologies. ARCoop is an infinite surface, an opening that connects the circuits of Contemporary Art and the cross-border matrix of the AECID. It is an effort to understand ARt and COoperation (AR-CO) from experience.

Visitors to the fair will discover that one of its main corridors has no end: eerie infinite depths framed by abstract geometries invite visitors into a new dimension. On the other side lies an indoor space, a quiet haven away from the bustle of the fair, with a series of images and videos floating on one of the walls. These videos and images are zooms into the network: a collection of snapshots of the various social, cultural and artistic activities that the AECID performs throughout the world. Little by little, the visitors’ eyes grow accustomed to the dimness and notice that the ceiling and walls fold upon themselves to frame the images and form a bench. After a rest, it is time to return to ‘the other dimension’ to proceed with the visit.

1. Network. Every space is connected to multiple material and immaterial contexts from the past, present and future.

Space and time interscalarity.

2. Node. Every spaces is always a node within a network.

Building means participating in the assembly of circuits.

3. Infinite surface. A system of infinite mirrors constructs the effect of mysterious depths for visitors. ARt and COoperation are (also) experiences.

Smart solutions; economy of means. 

4. Resting space. ‘On the other side’, a dimly-lit space, to take a break from the bustle of the fair.

A right to sloth.

5. Invitation. The infinite surface is an invitation to peer into the network, to connect to other contexts and other cultures.

Cross-border opportunities.

• Architects:
• elii - Uriel Fogué, Eva Gil, Carlos Palacios
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• Project-coordinating architect:
• elii – Ana López
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• Team:
• elii - Laura Barros + Telmo Sagartzazu 
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• Assembly:
• Scnik
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• developers:
• Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo AECID en la Feria ARCO 
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• Fotography and video:
• ImagenSubliminal (Miguel de Guzmán + Rocío Romero) www.imagensubliminal.com
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• Surface:
• 12,00m2
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• Date:
• 2018
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• Location:
• Pabellón 7, Recinto Ferial IFEMA, Madrid