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Collective Hotspots

In collaboration with Laura-India Garinois. With funding support from MIT Spain.
2024 - Ongoing
Andalusia, Spain

Installation Photos by Saule Barley. 2025.

Installation. 2025.
19th International Venice Architecture Biennale 2025.

Project Description

Transcending regional borders and landscapes, unprecedented heat levels engulf city centres each year. In a time where locals are often warned to stay indoors and withdraw from public spaces in fear of heat exposure, this installation highlights distinct instances where local communities foster collective intelligence as forms of resistance. The short film traces how everyday urban infrastructures evolve into cultural artifacts at the intersections of climate and architecture within the context of southern Spain. Collective intelligence is unveiled through ways of collaboration between locals and the city as they reimagine their urban fabric. The shadows of ancient tree canopies are integrated and readapted into contemporary infrastructures of shade, while the movement of water is materialized into urban cooling mechanisms. From fabric canopies sheltering streets to prosthetic architectural adaptations such as fountains, awnings, window blinds, misting devices, and green trellises on façades, these initiatives define a spectrum of resourceful, transformations.

02.

In the Folds of Shadows
Short Film [2025]
09:43:00

Directed by Mahwish Khalil + Laura-India Garinois
Supported by MIT Spain

The film tells the story of local modes of resilience amidst record heat waves that disrupt everyday lives in Andalusia. Through collective initiatives by municipalities and locals, urban infrastructures such as shading devices, fountains, and prosthetic technologies define a spectrum of adaptations that are reimagined to generate new urban solidarities.

See more: https://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/2025/natural/fold-shadows-prosthetic-dialogues