Earthquakes as a force that rebuilds. Three South American proposals (two from the past, one a contemporary utopia) and reflections on their meaning

Abstract

This essay was written by a South American architect who has made the relationship between architecture and poetry1 a fundamental way of life in his work. For this reason, in the text that follows, the poetic word appears together with the written text and anticipates reflections on the territory, earthquakes, the projects carried out, and some utopian projects which will be discussed. There are four main themes: 1) The South American continent facing the Pacific Ocean; 2) The churches of southern Chile and the possibility of an architectural reconstruction thanks to the presence of a new liturgical act (1960); 3) The port of Valparaíso with a new layout after the earthquake (1906); 4) Santiago-Valparaíso, towards a “happily habitable” city-region, or how we can inhabit this land that never stops trembling (2020). As an epilogue, a reflection on the “Sign” of contemporary art dealing with earthquakes (Athenea in Santiago de Chile, the Cretto di Gibellina in Sicily, and the Terrae Motus collection in Naples).

Keywords

• segno
• luce
• sguardi