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PROJECT: THE NIGHT OF LANTERNS FROM VALDIVIA TO JAPAN

CHILE AND EARTHQUAKES

Chile is located in the fire line of the South Pacific. Similar to many other countries that are in this geographical position, its territory is constantly being hit by large earthquakes and tsunamis. Also other types of natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions and floods, among others, have left a large physical footprint on the landscape with tremendous emotional impact on its inhabitants.

Although, the physical traces are difficult to erase, the emotional pain can be conjured through rituals that help to reduce the grief. In this sense, building ties of solidarity with others is also therapeutic.

The experience of natural disturbances in Chile have been of such dimensions that Charles Darwin, as early as the nineteenth century, documented its effects and described it as “the most horrible spectacle I have witnessed in my life”.

But from such destruction, including loss of property and loss of human life, a robust legislation has emerged in Chile. As a result today’s buildings are prepared to resist extreme events, such as was the case of most of the infrastructure that survived the earthquake on February 27 of 2010, in the south-central region.

However, within this set of regulations, little has been done to consider the role of urban and landscape planning in improving cities’ response to earthquakes. Neither has the social and environmental equation been considered with regards to this issue. Unlike what has been seen as progress in building regulation, there are significant gaps in the environmental planning area.

The city of Valdivia is an example, where despite having suffered the second largest earthquake in the world, consequentially, having improved its building techniques, the government has not considered strategies for planning a more resilient city; referring to the capacity of a city to recover after suffering an extreme disturbance.

WELCOMING THE STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

The existing poor planning regulations, are not a minor issue for an architecture school placed in Valdivia, and whose major aim is to improve the residents’ quality of life through examining urban strategies and territorial planning of the geographical and natural surrounding systems.

Disasters are always present in our thoughts, and so it is also in our teaching-learning models. It seemed logical to us to begin this year by thinking; how is it to live in a country like this? We are concerned about increasing earthquake awareness among the university community, in order to make them ready to take quick action to diminish its negative effects.

The reception of the architecture students at the beginning of each year has been a tradition since the foundation of this school. According to this practice, students are welcomed within a series of activities where both, students and teachers, participate together. Often, the activities relate to architecture, the city, sustainability and urban meaning. In short, the reception always has two dimensions; the first one refers to a “shared dimension” where students and teachers are deeply involved.

The second has a “multiple scale dimension” that takes the meaning of the project beyond the limits of the working group and extends it to other physical and social territories. All welcoming events address issues linked to urban space in order to help build the academic community.

Since 2000, we have gone to the city’s center to perform different activities and create significant events. Three years ago, the topic of sustainability was incorporated into the aesthetics of the welcoming projects. In this way, we extended our contribution to building a global community based on solidarity and solutions which have a sustainable effect.

For example, in 2009 we transformed garbage, such as plastic bottles, into something beautiful, as a way to quantify the urban environment in an act that was simultaneously beautiful and meaningful. In 2010, we recycled paper to make puppets, an attractive and useful object, as a way to help children affected by the Chilean earthquake.

This year we wanted to make a special effort to contribute to building bridges of friendship and solidarity with the people of Japan, who suffered a series of catastrophic events, ranging from an earthquake to a Tsunami. Following this kind of event, and after what occurred in Chile in 2010, the first reaction that came to us was empathy. We attempted to manifest this feeling in an urban act that could reach the global community.

THE FESTIVAL OF LANTERNS: AN URBAN ACT

In the process of planning and designing the activity, it was mandatory to address different aspects of academic work. In addition, the activity was meant to express our solidarity with the Japanese community and also an act carried out in urban space, which had to be articulated in a comprehensive and symbolic way.

With this in mind, we chose to perform an event which involved carrying through the city hundreds of lanterns and trees of good wishes, and placing them in a special site to create a meaningful message.

Three hundred students and 20 teachers worked at the university for a week in mixed groups, with the objective of building the pieces that were designed and constructed to be installed immediately. Different committees were formed to organize the route, purchase the materials and to build the paper lanterns and trees of good wishes.

Other commissions took care of the audiovisual recording and of obtaining municipal authorization. Finally, a small group of older students organized the welcome party that took place after the urban act had finished.

The lanterns were made by hand, using white translucent paper, which was shaped around a lightweight wire. These same wires allowed holding and carrying the lantern through the city to the final destination. The lanterns were square and had a hole on top in order to be able to easily place a small white candle inside.

In contrast, the trees of good wishes were full of colorful rectangular papers held on by wire mesh, which in turn, were structured in between two large circular wooden stakes. Thousands of colorful pieces of paper were written with messages of reassurance and support to the Japanese people.

Once the elements were prepared and organized, and after a week of work, a city night parade was initiated from our architectural school to the city center. The parade started exactly at sunset, out side the Architecture building. We continued across campus and through the traditional poplar avenue at the university’s entrance.

After that, we crossed the Valdivia bridge, which connects the city center with the Teja Island, where the university is located. The parade continued to move forward along the main streets and reached the city’s main square. At this point we had arrived at the Freedom Walk, a sloping street three blocks long that starts at the main square and finishes by the river.

This is a public promenade that was very significant during the foundation of the city of Valdivia. In this space, and after the lights went down, we formed the word Japan. At the same time, the trees of good wishes were being placed at head of the promenade.

Students stood at the edge of the Freedom Walk, against the facades. Everyone was moved by the feeling of solidarity and quietly lit the lamps. After sunset, when the city lights were turned off, lanterns were relocated on the floor assembling the word Japan in the middle of the promenade.

Many people got together and even some Japanese citizens, who where passing by, spontaneously lit candles. We remained in place for a while and then returned to the school to welcome our new students.

The event was broadcast through Ustream and it was witnessed by hundreds of pedestrians and motorists, who at the beginning did not understand the meaning of what they saw, although they were amazed by the size and beauty of the performance.

For us, this was a symbolic gesture that went beyond the act itself. The aim was to create a sense of belonging for our new students and also rebuild this sense for the old ones.

We truly believe this kind of ceremony provides meaning to our academic group and revitalizes our commitment to the community.

For the video click on thepicture below.




For Photos see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/extensionarquitectura/

See also on this website the news on the Chilean earthquake on 27 February 2010 at Heritage Chile and for the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japna gop to Dossier Heritage Japan

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