Fiesta

Throughout history, boundaries have been treated as means of a divider to protect the people within their territories. This brought a negative side effect of separating communities and thus potentially resulting in conflict.

This project focuses on the exploration and reinterrogation of boundaries and trying to question whether if a boundary can be a place of interaction rather than just a dividing element for separating communities. Can a boundary line be stretched into a 3D space where people from different communities gather together and interact?

Fiesta is an exploration of this idea using Cotabato, one of the conflicted areas in the southern part of the Philippines as a context and merge different groups of people together through celebrating each of their cultures. A bridge that not only serves as an infrastructure for transport, but also a festive integration of coalesced communities. What a great way to mingle with other people than to celebrate with food and music cultures.

Several experimentations on strategies were used to achieve this cultural exchange. The form, design language, and program arrangement were consequences dictated by the strategy explorations, cultural references, and procedural approach to reimagine the definition of boundaries.