Freddy Mamani (architect)
Freddy Mamani | |
|---|---|
Mamani in 2015 | |
| Born | Freddy Mamani Silvestre 1 November 1971 Catavi, La Paz, Bolivia |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Practice | Neo-Andean |
Freddy Mamani Silvestre (born 1 November 1971) is a Bolivian self-taught architect[1] noted for his development of the Neo-Andean architectural style.[2] His work is most associated with the city of El Alto and with the new social class of upwardly mobile indigenous Bolivians.
Biography
Mamani was born in Catavi;[3][4] his father was a bricklayer. They moved to El Alto while Freddy was at the age of six.[5] He also followed his father's profession as a bricklayer. He had dreams of becoming an architect, but his work schedule would not permit him to attend whatever classes available in his local universities. Eventually, he instead received his degrees in civil construction and engineering from the Universidad Mayor de San Andres and Universidad Boliviana de Informática respectively.[5]
Work
His buildings are described as "la nueva arquitectura andina," or New Andean Architecture. In 2018, his buildings and work were featured in National Geographic, which said he was known as the "King of Andean Architecture."[6] While lower levels of the buildings he designs often hold shops, the upper levels are often used as party spaces.[6]
Regarding Mamani's architectural style, Italian architect Elisabetta Andreoli, author of "Andean Architecture of Bolivia", once explained that "some of the forms have been taken out of Andean art. The Tiwanacotas used a language of civilization in their forms: textiles, ceramics, and architectural ruins. Mamani uses the Andean cross, the diagonal juxtaposition of the planes, the duplicity, the repetition, the circle, which makes all this a stylisation theme, that is its source."[7] Martha Moskowitz of Frederic Magazine wrote in April 2024 that he was inspired to some extent by stone carvings from the ancient city of Tiwanaku, with symbols such as the goddess Pachamama, the Andean cross, and the patterns of Chola dresses are also used, often in complex geometric shapes.[8] He also draws from colors of the awayo shawls that indigenous Bolivian children are carried in by their mothers.[6]
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Neo-Andean architecture
References
- ^ Valencia, Nicolas (25 November 2017). "Why Freddy Mamani is Leading A New Andean Architecture". ArchDaily. ISSN 0719-8884. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ Elisabetta Andreoli (13 July 2015). "'We have money and can build in a way that represents us'". Architectural Review. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ^ Wainwright, Oliver (23 October 2018). "Party palaces and funky funhouses: Freddy Mamani's maverick buildings". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ^ "Freddy Mamani's New Andean Architecture adds colour to Bolivian city". Dezeen. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ^ a b Rebolledo, Mauricio Becerra (18 September 2024). "Freddy Mamani, padre de la arquitectura neoandina: "En nuestra sangre están los colores"". El Ciudadano (in Spanish).
- ^ a b c Blair, Laurence (21 May 2018), "These Vibrant, Futuristic Mansions Are Popping Up in Bolivia", nationalgeographic.com, National Geographic, retrieved 24 March 2026
- ^ Valencia, Nicolas (25 November 2017). "Why Freddy Mamani is Leading A New Andean Architecture". ArchDaily. ISSN 0719-8884. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ Moskowitz, Martha (24 April 2024), "This Bolivian Architect's Vibrant Buildings Are Redefining Postcolonial Design", fredericmagazine.com, Frederic, retrieved 24 March 2026,
Inspired by the stone carvings found in the ancient city of Tiwanaku, which served as the seat of Aymara power from 400 to 900 A.D., Mamani's buildings feature psychedelic facades that hold a mix of shops, apartments, and public spaces.
Further reading
- La arquitectura de Freddy Mamani Silvestre by Elisabetta Andreoli and Ligia D'Andrea (La Paz: El Alto, 2013)