1st Cycle of Prototyping Activities

PROTOTYPING ACTIVITIES IN JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA

Prototyping activities for the pilot landscape project in Jerez de la Frontera got underway last week. The first circle of prototyping activities focuses on the realization of Estelle Julian’s creative proposal “The Songs of Nearby Earth” with PALIMPSEST partners and local communities.

During the first three days of October, a kick-off workshop was held with students and teachers from the first and second year of the Ceramic Decoration Diploma at the Jerez School of Art.

The aim of the three days was to present the PALIMPSEST project and the landscape challenges facing Jerez de la Frontera, as well as to begin work on the ceramic object and musical instrument (Zambomba), with a view to redesigning it both for its current use and for its future use as a tool for urban renaturalization. The Zambomba instrument plays a key role in Estelle Julian’s proposal to support the city’s landscape challenges.

This workshop marked the start of work with the various local agents who will be involved in the whole prototyping process. In this case, around the zambomba as a domestic object transformed into a musical instrument, and how to redesign or shape new zambombas that take into account both its current functions and needs, and complete their life cycle by giving them a new use as an instrument for planting vines. All this without losing sight of local challenges, and with the need to anchor its development in the vernacular landscape, traditional knowledge and local cultural expressions.

The PALIMPSEST and SONE projects

After an initial presentation of the “mingei” concept by Luis Torres (ceramics teacher at the School of Arts), Nomad Garden and Estelle Jullian presented the framework of the PALIMPSEST and SONE (Les Chants de la Terre Proche) project proposed by Estelle Jullian (Culturama), which will be developed in Jerez as a local pilot project within the PALIMPSEST framework.

Structured around three major blocks of activity based around the zambomba (object), the zambomba (ritual) and vine trellises (renaturalization), SONE aims to address the territory and landscape of Jerez through artistic and design practices that integrate popular knowledge, landscape practices, local cultural expressions and emblematic elements, generating spaces for reflection and landscape transformation.

Discover the secrets of Jerez zambomba

To conclude the first day, from the hand and mouth of Juan Manuel and his son, Sergio Coca, we attended a masterclass given by the last remaining craftsmen who continue to make the traditional Jerez zambomba.

With the help of a ceramic jar, strings, cotton muslin, a reed (which had been harvested green months before) and the experience acquired over the years, we were able to discover some of the instrument’s manufacturing secrets. But also how to play it, some of the keys to its sound, and, in short, a whole corpus of vernacular knowledge on the verge of extinction.

Redrawing tradition

On the second day, Belenish Moreno-Gila, post-composer, playwright and ethnomusicologist from Jerez, took part in the activities and shed light on several clues about the traditional instrument, from its history to its larger family (friction drums), as well as the sound and some of the keys to making it work musically. His presentation and the interactive dialogue that followed certainly opened our eyes, not only to the instrument’s sound dimension, shape and size, but also to how the zambomba is played: how it’s held, how it’s arranged and how it’s played.

Although we were unfortunately unable to count on the presence of Juan Luis Vega for personal reasons (Asociación Amigos de los Árboles), we also had a brief discussion on the functional requirements that need to be taken into account when shaping new “zambombas” for their use as protection and planting devices, so that they allow the vines to develop properly.

This second day ended with a few words from Agustín Muñoz (First Deputy Mayor of the City of Jerez and Governmental Sector of the Presidency, Historic Center, European Funds, Governmental Coordination and Territorial Planning) and Francisco Zurita (Delegation of Culture, Festivals, Historic Heritage and Cultural Capital), who welcomed the EASD students and teachers to the PALIMPSEST project.

Connecting with the landscape

The third and final day of the prototyping workshops was devoted to an excursion into the Jerez de la Frontera winegrowing landscape to explore and rediscover it from a new angle.

At the top of the Cerro Corchuelo pago, Willy Pérez welcomed the PALIMPSEST team and Estelle to the Bodega Luis Pérez. With a breathtaking view of the city and its territory, he gave a masterly lecture on the culture of Jerez and its long relationship with viticulture. Willy Pérez, viticulture expert and oenologist, helped the team discover not only the immense heritage of this landscape, but also the origins and keys to some very special soils, the albarizas. From its geological history (sedimentary) to its composition of biological origin (diatoms and radiolarians), and how its properties have shaped the types and forms of vine cultivation.

The tour ended with us collecting the remains of bunches of “Tintilla de Rota” (a local grape variety) from the last harvest in Luis Pérez’s winery, and a few kilometers to the northwest, in the Cerro Pelado pago, beneath the gigantic windmills, we collected albarizas from this whitish landscape, with views over other pagos such as Orbaneja, Macharnudo Bajo and the landscape of an ancient seabed in which brackish water halophilic vegetation still grows.

Stay tuned, as two prototyping workshops will follow in Lodz and Milan for landscape pilots!

Prototyping activities – Firing at the Jerez School of Art and Design

Last week, PALIMPSEST participated in the firing of the students’ designs for the SONE zambomba at the Jerez School of Arts and Design. First- and second-year ceramics degree students fired the zambombas they had designed and made during the first semester of their ceramics course, taught by professors Luis Torres and Enrique Carrillo, according to the premises, ideas and inspirations presented to them at the launch ceremony celebrated in October.

The pieces were fired using two distinct techniques: pit firing and raku obvara. The smoked pieces (pit firing) were packed with plant materials from the Jerez landscape, which left their mark on the surface, while the raku obvara paste was prepared with wheat flour (from the surrounding countryside), beet sugar (from the local sugar factory) and yeast from sherry wine.

The event also featured an intimate zambomba session to launch activities that will revolve around the lyrics and new elements that have emerged in the Jerez landscape, enriched by the participation of Lucía Franco Corrales and Claudia GR Moneo and Belenish Moreno-Gil, authors of the book Lah Letrah de Nuehtra Zambomba. The festive gathering was accompanied by hot chocolate and traditional Spanish Christmas treats, creating a warm and authentic Andalusian Christmas atmosphere.

Over the two days, our artist Estelle Jullian and Nomad Garden’s pilot curators prepared materials from vine shoots and other plants from the Sherry vineyards cultural landscape. These materials will be used by the students in the next stage of the ceramic production process: glazing.

PROTOTYPING ACTIVITIES IN MILAN

This autumn/winter season is full of activities for PALIMPSEST pilots!
In early December, gethan&myles, winners of the CREATIVE DIALOGUES open call, spent three days in Milan to prepare for the construction of the “impossible” machine that will take place in March 2025.

These days were devoted to visiting possible sites for the construction of the Lambro River water purification machine, returning to the glassmaker (Novavitrex) to discuss the glass bottle project and selecting the materials already collected.

It was also an opportunity to return to the river during another scheduled siphon cleaning to select other items for use in the machine. And surprise! Dozens of yellow ducks emerged from the water!

Workshop with students from Politecnico di Milano

In November 2024, students from the Politecnico di Milano, as part of the Master Urban Design Studio taught by Professors Grazia Concilio, Patrizia Scrugli and Talita Medina, were engaged in prototyping activities for the Milan Landscape Pilot Project.

The experiment, “Il fiume Cantastorie”, involves collecting the stories imagined behind objects – strange, funny, (un)useful or beautiful – that have been abandoned near the Lambro river, forgotten, without function or owner.

A big thank you to all the students for taking part! It was an extraordinary experience, and we’re very grateful for your enthusiasm and commitment.

PROTOTYPING ACTIVITIES IN ŁÓDZ
Upcoming workshop in March

The project “Freedom Flow. Be Like Water” attempts to seamlessly integrate nature-based solutions into the urban fabric of Łódź. Rooted in the idea of fostering a stronger connection between citizens and their local waterways – in particular the Jasień River Valley in the Księży Młyn region – the project aspires to address pressing socio-cultural and environmental challenges through co-creation and collaboration.

The initiative aims not only to integrate sustainable design into the urban landscape, but also to reconnect residents with water, cultivating a renewed appreciation of rivers and their ecological importance. The project envisions the co-creation of practices that enable citizens to counter the growing disconnection from water in urban environments. By tackling the pressing challenge of water management, the project seeks to inspire sustainable practices that endure beyond the installation itself. It proposes a visionary approach to urban renewal, where functional solutions and environmental awareness come together to shape a resilient, connected urban future.

Using the elements of the water-filtering art installation, we plan to develop a toolbox as part of Łódź’s pilot project aimed at fostering a reconnection with water. Activities will be designed and implemented in collaboration with local stakeholders. Freedom Flow encourages community involvement, creativity and participation.

In recent months, the Łódź team has been engaged in collaborative efforts to prototype an art installation designed to filter water and slow rainwater runoff, based on Mona El Batrik’s concept.

After the residential workshops held at Księży Młyn in Łódź, we focused on collaborating to create, design and test the components of Freedom Flow. Being like water.

Our creative agent visited the University of West Bohemia, where she met with Czech partners to explore the possibilities of 3D printing ceramic elements for water filtration.

The ongoing co-design process between the creative agent and the Łódź Pilot curators has resulted in the creation of initial designs for the Freedom Flow installation and its preliminary form.

These efforts have resulted in the production of 3D-printed ceramic container prototypes, as well as three types of filter, which will also serve as the basic concept for the development of the toolbox, a key element of the local part of the project.

To initiate the process of creating effective filters with other natural components, we engaged in creative collaborative processes with local educators and designers specializing in rain gardens and floating islands. Their expertise aims to support the Łódź Pilot project in the development of a functional art installation.

Photo credits and design: Mona El Batrik / The Big Tiny Studio.