A (not so)
personal
diary

✒ “Plus, in my experience, when you choose the right scale, music sounds beautiful”, points out sculptor Xavier Corberó in the five-minute “In residence” video, where he walks us through his kaleidoscopic, otherworldly architectural creation. Although depicting music, he refers to space. On a more down-to-earth exploration, the corner of a fairly common building, somewhere in Porto catches the eye. That is if our eye can pause for a few minutes on the way up or down the stairs to observe the subtle interplay of elements that reveal an understated sense of scale. While the rhythmic subdivision of the window frame is the eye catcher, the true depth of scale unfolds through the finer details. The low and medium plinths subtly anchor the composition, while the connection between the retombé and the adjacent wall adds a nuanced layer of spatial continuity. The slight offset of the wall on the left and the presence of the staircase on the right contribute to the overall dynamic, bringing balance. Each feature guards its own identity, only to dialogue harmoniously with the others in a sensitive orchestration of scale, where every detail adds to a refined architectural resonance. Can you hear it? Words by Madalina Anghelescu Picture by Mauro Brigham

✒ While packing the office for our move, we stumbled upon a box of drawings — all of them from our former colleague, Pedro. As we went through them one by one, I couldn’t help to notice how fascinated we still are when we come across something crafted by hand. “Wow, look at the details! The colors! Remember this idea we had?” Like kids in a candy shop, our colleagues paused in front of the box. Even those just passing by got caught up for a good few minutes, flipping through one drawing after another. Drawing, much like cooking (for those who enjoy it, of course), is a process that doesn’t just target the result — a jaw-dropping sketch or a perfect dish but is essential in what we might call spontaneous revelations or discoveries — ideas and germs of ideas that could easily be missed if we only relied on computer skills or “inspiring” images to express ourselves. The richness of drawing lies in training our minds to play, to explore, rather than expecting to land on the perfect solution from the first take. When we place pencil to paper, the line can move freely, sometimes taking unexpected turns, deviating from the original intention, and setting in place another idea, one we didn’t even know we had. The measured control we have while drawing, if we understand we need to set our lines, colors, and hand movements free, transforms into something quite exquisite and truly authentic — a personal barometer of our mood, sensitivity, and unique form of expression. It brings out our spirit, awakens our curiosity and mostly, reminds us that some of our best projects came up when playing with a pen on a piece of paper, not forcing but letting our hand flow. Words by Madalina Anghelescu Picture by Pedro Rodrigues