Rogelio Salmona Fellowship, Colombia / British Council, 2018
A British Council Fellowship awarded to examine the work of significant modern Colombian architect Rogelio Salmona, whose work remains relatively unknown in the UK and Europe, despite his prolific career and powerful influence in Colombia and Latin America. Salmona favoured building with brick, honing his skills in each and every project. As Rogelio Salmona Fellow 2018, my research set out to explore Salmona’s sculpted masonry architecture, interrogating his poetic approach to brickwork construction.
My research journey was documented in a short film and described and published in a series of articles:
Travelogue I: SALMONA IN THE CITY
Travelogue II: FINDING THE 'FORMES'
Travelogue III: THE BRICKWORKS
Disseminating Salmona's work to a wider audience, I delivered a closing lecture and exhibition at London Metropolitan University. The event included the release of an additional film featuring an exclusive interview with master bricklayer Alfonso Lōpez at the Gimnasio Fontana School in Bogotá, in which he reflects on his work and personal relationship with Rogelio Salmona himself.
The Rogelio Salmona Fellowship program was organised by the British Council and hosted and coordinated by Más Arte Más Acción, in alliance with the Rogelio Salmona Foundation, MAMBO - the Museum of Modern Art of Bogotá, and the Rogelio Salmona University Cultural Centre in Manizales. Film Credits: Videographer: Sebastian Bright / Master Craftsman: Alfonso Lōpez / Translation: Alejandra Helbein / Facilitator and Coordinator: María Elvira Madriñán / Host: Gimnasio Fontana School
