The original idea of Diego Rivera in relation to the Anahuacalli was that it was part, as one of several buildings, within a “City of Arts”. Raised by the muralist between 1945 and 1950, this city was thought of as an ambitious project composed of several museums, squares and spaces for workshops and schools of artisans and artists. The architecture and design of the site should be similar to the Anahuacalli: modern and realistic – that is, inspired by the original constructions of the American continent. In the same way, the constructive project of the group should be sensitive and take advantage of the natural environment and landscape, characterized by the unique volcanic stone formations left by the Xitle eruption south of Mexico City.
The School of Sciences and Crafts of the Xitle VolcanoIt is a project by Marco Rountree that tries to start a dialogue with some aspects of the original project to which the Anahuacalli belonged. Some pieces evoke the schools and workshops that never existed as well as the craft work; others use volcanic stone or emphasize the relationship that was sought between landscape and architecture. With his interventions and sculptures, the artist points out these issues while paying attention to the museum itself, its collection and its history. Sometimes, for example, Rountree updates some museographic resources of the sixties, when the museum was inaugurated, or his work emphasizes the connection between the aesthetic of pre-Columbian art of western Mexico and the caricature – a relationship sketched by scholars like Salvador Toscano and Paul Westheim. In this way,School of Sciences and Crafts of the Xitle Volcano , more than exhaustively investigating only one aspect related to the Anahuacalli and its history, offers multiple perspectives on this unique project of Rivera, both what exists and what was never achieved.
Special thanks to Karla Niño De Rivera, TORNEL workshop and Saint-Gobain
