The School of Architecture of the University celebrates the Pamplona Meetings of '72

In 1972, a few days before the city of Pamplona started the Sanfermines, a completely different festival took place. The Encuentros de Pamplona turned Pamplona into the capital of art. The streets were filled with people from other places who mingled with the locals and the whole city vibrated around an unusual and unusual event: a festival dedicated to experimental art.

To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Pamplona Meetings of '72 and thanks to a agreement signed with the Baluarte Foundation, the School of Architecture of the University has collaborated in the program of this celebration.

The 2nd year Architecture students made a project focused on this theme as the first exercise of the 2nd year for the subject Project Workshop I. Of all the projects presented, the Baluarte Foundation chose one: 'From the countryside to the city'. From there, all the students of the subject worked to materialize it in the place of the Baluarte. To carry it out, they used dozens of hay bales that have remained in the place of the Presidium of Pamplona for two weeks.

"To propose the project we looked at what happened 50 years ago in this same place (the place of the Presidium) and decided to represent the contrast that was generated after the installation of the inflatable domes of José Miguel de Prada Poole. Therefore, we looked for something that would attract attention and we chose to introduce the brutality of the countryside in the urbanism of the city. In spite of how common and simple this object is, we want the hay bales to be remembered within the event of the 72/22 Encounters and to demonstrate that architecture can be made using anything from such a simple element as straw to materials as complex as those of the Baluarte itself", explain Javier Fernández, Eduardo García and Juan Rigo, the students who devised the chosen project , which was materialized thanks to the partnership of all the students of the 2nd year of Architecture. 

The hay bales have become part of Pamplona for two weeks, as citizens have interacted with this initiative. "From the beginning we had planned that people could play with the bales and even move them. But, to be honest, at no time we imagined that both children and adults would get so involved in the proposal and come to make their own works, such as chairs, tables or even small stands. We are very happy not only with the result we got by placing the bales, but with the final result of the exhibition, with which we managed to completely change the use and appearance of the place of the Presidium," says Javier Fernandez.