Mark
"There Are No Stones in the Netherlands" is part of the “Mediterranean Transnationality” research.The project investigates the cultural and environmental significance of stones, both as materials and as symbols. It reflects on the stark absence of natural stone in the Dutch landscape, probing the implications this lack has on identity, materiality, and the intricate relationship between architectural culture and nature. The project draws a parallel between Eindhoven—where I resided for a decade—and the Mediterranean coastline of my homeland, creating a dialogue between these two contexts where I feel at home.

The bench, a central element of this context specific exploration, embodies my interpretation of the Pedra Seca structures, envisioned as if the Mediterranean essence were to converge with the Dutch landscape, particularly with the Designer Sectie-C area and the materiality in it. When seated upon these architectural archetypes, individuals are invited to rethink their interaction with the surrounding environment, gaining the opportunity to both construct and reconstruct their spatial experience. This engagement also serves as a homage to the agricultural terraces of my family’s heritage, fostering a deeper connection to a landscape shaped by tradition and resilience, on how the spaces have been arranged and shuffled, how they are gathered materials from the surrounding and how the change use and function over time through the ancient technique of drystone walls.






The bench is currently in its final location, after being rebuild by the exhibition curators Olga Flór and Corradino Garofalo, in the frontyard of Collaboration-o workspace where I practiced and based my studio for 8 years.