Jorge Sánchez Di Bello
Image - Space - Object - Glass

Calados -Cocaína

As Colombians, we are burdened worldwide by the stigma of cocaine. Regardless of the country we are in, it is common to hear Colombia being associated with cocaine, either as a joke or as a comment. Calados–Cocaine is inspired by the construction of the collective memory of Colombia and its population in relation to cocaine.

The calados, made of concrete, are typical elements of the architecture of tropical countries; they function as open walls. They allow light and ventilation to pass through. Most windows together form a geometric pattern within a connected structure.

Cocaine is obtained from the coca plant, a sacred plant that is very important to the Indigenous cultures of South America. In the years 1859/60, the German chemist Albert Niemann was the first to discover cocaine in crystalline form and gave it its name.

Calados–Cocaine is the union between architectural design (calados) and the chemical structure of cocaine (pattern) in the construction of a window. It unifies the materiality of the object (glass) with the chemical formula of the substance. Through the window, the viewer is confronted with knowledge about the drug, its origin, and Colombia.

 Calados - Cocaína: Fused glass | 50 cm x 126 cm x 10 cm | 2014 | Photo: Anne Martin

Calados - Cocaína: Fused glass | 50 cm x 126 cm x 10 cm | 2014 | Photo: Anne Martin.

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