ANTHONY MCINNENY, BEATRIZ MATURANA COSSIO, AND MUSEO BENJAMÍN VICUÑA MACKENNA
The original article is published at Project Anywhere
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Image 2: La Ciudad Enferma es Rescatable (The Sick City Can be Saved), 2016. A quote attributed to the Mayor of Santiago, Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna (1875). Cast plumb bobs, inscribed with this quote suspended in front of two historical engineering plans. Below, Ernesto Ansart, engineer of Vicuña Mackenna, and his plan for the canalization (1873). Above, Engineer Martinez’s final design (1885) indicating the position of the nine metal bridges. Composite image and plumb bobs by Anthony McInneny.
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A series of 9 Meccano type bridges were installed during the late 19 C as part of the canalization of the Mapocho River (Image 2). The canal and its bridges were the centerpiece of the modernization of Santiago de Chile as the “Paris of South America” and linked the north and south sides of the city for three kilometers. These links were easily moved or removed, replaced and multiplied during the 20 C. In the 21 C, three sites along the Mapocho contain the remaining four metal Crossway.
“Here is a thing that I call art, but I didn’t even make it myself.” As we know, “art,” etymologically speaking, means “to hand make.” (Duchamp 1959, 18)
The assemble metal brides have been appropriated, demounted and re-arranged as heritage objects of anywhere within the river’s pre modern, early modern and contemporary urban history.
“Appropriation itself implies time (or times), rhythm (or rhythms), symbols and a practice”. (Lefebvre 1991, 356)
The project investigates the bridge as a metaphor of communication – of language and physical movement in the specific context of Santiago’s urban culture.
Find more about this project at: Project Anywhere
Find more about this project at: Project Anywhere
