IN-PERSON London Heritages. Section A
Abstract
From salon palaces to churches, from theatres to lobbies, from clubs to reading rooms, cafes and galleries, there is a network of interiors that —either by the objects, furniture and decorations they contain or by the actions that occur within them— register and construct the city outside. As a category, the interior is as much heritage as the exterior building. An example of this is the 19th century “Microcosm of London” publication. Written by Rudolph Ackermann and illustrated by Thomas Rowlandson and Augustus Pugin, it features an extensive collection of social settings ranging from courts and hospitals to prisons and entertainment venues. Altogether, it comprises more than 100 illustrations, presenting the metropolis as an archive of its interiors. Through a similar lens, this research focuses on Santiago, Chile during a hundred years later, a period that witnessed the emergence of a series of public interiors linked to the rise of new political, economic, and cultural institutions. Analogously, these symbolically coded rooms reflected the new social structures, as well as evolving visions of class and gender. Collectively, they form the “Microcosm of Santiago”: a constellation that redefined the public sphere in 20th-century Santiago, and by extension, that of the whole country. Functioning like a disperse network, they represent a hidden heritage distinct from that of the buildings. Laying many of them empty today they survive as remnants of a historical moment when the city was governed within them. By tracing their history and simultaneously examining their archival representations, the research proposes new ones using current digital media, to ultimately question their new potential roles within the city.
Alejandra Celedon is an architect, Universidad de Chile, 2003. Master, The Bartlett School of Architecture, 2007. PhD, Architectural Association, 2014. She was the curator of the Chilean Pavilion at the 16th Venice Biennale and co-curator of “The Plot: Miracle and Mirage” at the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial. She run the Master programme at Universidad Catolica and currently she is Dean at Facultad de Arquitectura, Arte y diseño at Universidad Diego Portales in Santiago, Chile.
Felipe Pizarro. Arquitecto y Magíster en Arquitectura, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 2021. En 2019, co-fundó el colectivo Ciudades de Octubre, con quienes ha investigado sobre las políticas urbanas recientes en Chile. Con ellos ha expuesto su trabajo en exhibiciones en Chile y Argentina, además de lanzar el archivo público ciudadesdeoctubre.cl en 2023. Junto a Alejandra Celedón ha trabajo como investigador asistente en los proyectos “La Sociedad Constructora de Establecimientos Educacionales: Sistemas Tipologías y Modelos (1968-1978)” (Fondart Nacional Folio 549651) y “Santiago Microcosmos” (Fondecyt de Iniciación Folio 11221005). Actualmente trabaja como investigador independiente.
Nicolás Navarrete Arquitecto y Magíster en Arquitectura, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (2020). Desde 2017 ha colaborado en proyectos de investigación y exhibiciones. En 2019 cofunda Ciudades de Octubre – iniciativa que cruza problemáticas arquitectónicas, urbanas e históricas a través de formatos que escapan los de la investigación tradicional. Ha sido profesor instructor en el Magister en Arquitectura de la UC y en la carrera de Diseño en la Universidad de Chile. Además, se desempeña como asistente de investigación del Fondecyt «Santiago Microcosmos”, junto con Alejandra Celedón y Felipe Pizarro, y realiza proyectos como arquitecto independiente.
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Thursday 26th June, 2025