MercaMadrid Keeps Feedin 12 Million

Sharoni Urrutia and ImagenSubliminal Explore the Resiliency of MercaMadrid at the 2021 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism.

Sharoni Urrutia and ImagenSubliminal have been invited to exhibit at the 2021 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism.
The third edition of SBAU “CROSSROADS, Building the Resilient City” is curated by architect Dominique Perrault and opened on September 16th with a series of exhibitions, events and conferences that reflect on the future of urban environments and the architectural and planning strategies that foster resilience.
Titled “MercaMadrid Keeps Feeding 12 Million” the installation explores the logistical, technological, and cultural implications of MercaMadrid, one of the biggest facilities of its kind in the world and one that is critical to the survival of Madrid. A collection of short movies projected on a round, two-meter table divided into three thematic rings reveals the range of processes taking shape and weaving together different operations, innovations, and communities. The installation invites guests to experience the feast of processes that ripen, preserve, and package food and produce, spotlighting how resources are matured, maintained, and prepared for distribution. It is a fascinating exercise of logistics, where food is turned, repackaged and redistributed into the city every 24 hours.

MercaMadrid is a magnet, connected to the world and to Madrid as a conversion of cultures. It is a hyper-sensitive supply chain that provides daily sustenance to 12 million people; up to 70% of Madrid’s fruits and vegetables. Thanks to the diversity of the city, the food market is exposed to new demands—the shifting tastes creates a feedback loop with supply areas across the country and around the world. The ongoing research exhibits MercaMadrid through the architecture of logistics, technology, and culture, how they converge to influence and be influenced by Madrid and its people.
Guests are invited to explore this collection of stories about the intersection of food and logistics. Projected onto a familiar display -a round dining table- it creates diverse opportunities for engagement along the display’s circumference. It does so in a way that, as complex as all these processes happening within are, drafts a roadmap for understanding the impact of one facility on the life of Madrid.
The installation was on display from September 16th to October 31st, 2021 at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul.

MercaMadrid Keeps Fedding 12 Million

Design and Concept: Sharoni Urrutia (Yaarit Sharoni, Juan Roque Urrutia) + ImagenSubliminal (Miguel de Guzman, Rocio Romero)
Animations: ÁNIMA Creative Studio (Maria Martinez, Henry Lopez)
Fabrication: AESCA Design (Jeffrey Jehwan Kim)