1. When we create, we levitate from the ground and our eyes are invaded by a very special sparkle… because we are fortunate not to have to “work” and to be moved by Passion. And so, each day we need reinvent ourselves to relentlessly pursue our dreams…
2. We believe that Time does not exist in Art, there is no Night or Day… as such, the clock is not our Guru. We believe that inspiration and creation have no scheduled appointments… they do not need to happen from 9 to 5… so, we do not need to work 8 hours daily. Quite often, there are long days with uninterrupted 24 hours of activity which just fly… when we event forget to feed ourselves; in other days, tired as on the seventh day in Genesis, we “do nothing”, but the most important thing happens… we observe the work done… we assess and learn, which enables us to take “a leap” further, even if we concluded that we “failed”… but it was a good failure.
   We further believe that we will never find the answers we seek, we will never understand the complexity of the World we live in, nor why we exist. We also believe that we will surely never reach perfection (but we humbly try to get closer to it in every project, in every line, in every new thought…) and, thus, a slow evolution occurs… through intensive practice, selection, attempts and (many) errors.
   Surely the next project will be better, carrying the weight of all the learning from thousands of previous attempts, and this is what motivates us to get up excited every day… after all, we believe that “the path is made by walking”.
3. At ApART(e) Lab, there are no predefined plans… instead, there is a lot of fear and hesitation, since we do not know how to overcome the next challenge, but certainly there are also thousands of ideas to try, and a Dream… we cling to this Dream with all our energy, strength and dedication… hoping that, in the future, this dream becomes inspiration for other beings, for their causes… And their new Dreams will then inspire us as well.

1. CREATIVITY
   We believe that, as Humans, we have a unique and exclusive skill: Creativity… hence the possibility of seeing the Future, of imagining a world that does not exist yet… being a bit ahead of our time.
   We know that… from the first-person experience over the last 25 years, Creativity arises and is nurtured when we get out of our comfort zone, whether literally backpacking around the world, or when we “simply” dive our mind into a genius book or music… we essentially believe that this magic happens when we dare to risk the certain for the uncertain.
   We also know that we can be “Original”, because after all, as we all know, this is simply a mixture of pre-existing ideas merged with our personal experiences… and these are, indeed, exclusive.
   We do not want to reject what has been (well) done so far, by whoever came first… in fact, the exact opposite occurs: we want to take the most of all this genius, study it and possibly (re)use it… not by “copying” it, but using our life experience to reinterpret and filter it according to our ideals. Thus, we know that our deepest personal experiences (our exclusive filter as beings) will intercede on our behalf, and this is where the magic of Creativity happens… and something Unique arises.
   We do not believe that ideas come out of nowhere… they are always a reinterpretation by a creative mind of something that already exists… we know that everything is already around us, in Nature as in our experiences. As Lavoisier says, “nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed”. So we believe it happens with ideas…
   So, to create is… for us, the “ability” to look at the World each new morning the pure and “decontaminated” vision and mind, like a child, recreating it…
2. DISQUIET… TRIAL AND ERROR
   But… being Creative is not enough for us (in fact, all human beings are able to)… at ApART(e)studio, we want all our people to feel the Disquiet and never stop questioning… first of all, ApART(e) wants to be a place open to everyone’s questions and opinions.
   We do not work; we do the things we love, with Passion, at this experimental Lab where (extreme) quality is privileged over quantity… after all, Art/Architecture should not be “to say a thousand no’s and one yes”… “99% effort and 1% imagination”?
   We are not afraid to fail, fail, fail… questioning everything and, if necessary, start all over again. These are our primary rules, hand in hand with the certainty that for us Impossible is nothing.
   In the ApART(e) philosophy, we do not just talk, we do not take the shortest path, which offers us less resistance. On the contrary, we always take a new path towards unknown, less comfortable places in search of ourselves. We are not afraid to get our hands dirty and stretch our own limits… we do not just say we should take risks; we actually take them and make it Happen… moving them forward slowly… leap by leap.
   On planet (h)eART(h), there is a fundamental rule: we are not trying to be better than anyone, we are not competing with anyone… we have our arms open to collaborate with all the inhabitants of other creative planets, near or far, sharing some of our concerns. We always give the best we can in pursuit of “Perfection”, even if we know, as we said above, that we will never reach it.
3. PLANET (h)eART(h)
   Our planet is called (h)eART(h)… a place between Earth and the heart, this is where we have moved to recently. A new language is being created here… certain words have been banned from our lexicon, and other have been invented, as a result of the experiences of its “Conductor” and founder.
   Concepts such as “work” and “boss” are unknown in our planet… there is also no “Doors” or “Walls”… instead, we have a filter of positive energy, which can only be transposed by those who come with arms wide open and ready to teach (and learn). We believe there is a Leader who, like a good “Conductor”, shall manage, guide and accompany a group of “performers”… as such, at the beginning of a “live concert”, quietly, without “hardly any gesture”, tries to manage this act of shaping the future by anticipation, instead of simply reacting, because… during the performance, Everyone has exactly the same responsibility and importance… if an element plays a wrong or at the wrong time, all the symphony will be compromised…
   A Leader requires some seriousness and “control”, but we also know that leading is very difficult and must be done in a very special way. A Leader essential needs to listen, guide and motivate, rather than impose or command. Back to the metaphor of the Conductor, a Leader must be very attentive and enhance the best each partner has to offer, so that when performing solo or with the other members of the orchestra… they are ready and confident to do their best… proud, excite and passionate with what he is doing; and… in the future, is willing to support anyone who will follow his own path and start his own orchestra…
   Last but not least… The “audience”… the main reason for all the works created… is one of the major instruments on our orchestra and should interact with creations… we do not work FOR anyone, we work WITH everyone (since everyone has a valid opinion, regardless of their “age, race or creed…”). Thus, just as when the audience accompanies the orchestra in a concert, by clapping at the rhythm of the music, adding one more “instrument” to the performance, we believe that the opinion and inputs of those who will benefit from the work to be created surely enrich the whole work process.

It has been discovered long ago that the Earth is round… that our planet moves, both by Rotation (around itself) and by Translation (a Nomadic Planet in the universe… around the Sun). We also know that our body grows, adapts and transforms… so why should Art/Architecture (creations mostly inherent from/to the human being, located in this planet) be static?

Thus… ApART(e)studio proposes to act as an experimental laboratory of ArchiSculpture, where, in addition to merging these two Arts, we will develop three concepts and apply them to some of the experimental objects to be created. These concepts will be used on their own or combined with each other in the same piece…

1. Adaptability
   Scale/Matter/Shape
   Like bodies grow and adapt over time to nature and circumstances… we believe that the same idea/Design should scale up and down, and be used in several sizes and functions. From a piece of clothing to wear (ARTwear) to a small bird shelter or a House… up to the scale of a skyscraper or city… imagination is the only limit.
   And… why cannot the same Architectural object “wear” the skin that better adapts to the local climate and construction techniques? Or even change the skin seasonally (just like we
   wear a t-shirt in summer and a wool coat in winter)?
   Why cannot a building change its shape whenever the inhabitants wish so? Whenever the weather conditions or season of the year require so? Why do not we have buildings/objects that transform and adapt like a Chameleon? Though some removable pieces that transform their formal appearance and provide a unique character to each mutation… and also abide by functional requirements. Why not have removable parts in a building? For instance, a piece that works as a cover in winter, which is then put upside down to serve as a terrace for sunbathing in summer?
2. Mobility / Kineticism
   Why would buildings always have to be in the same place? Why cannot we just carry our home around the world?
   As mentioned above, our planet is not static, the human being is constantly moving… so why cannot a building be easily transported and placed elsewhere? Why not spinning around itself, like a Sunflower, following the movement of the planet… optimising the views, sun exposure, energy consumption and healthiness of the space?
3. Modularity
   Why not having works that adjust their size by the combination of several units, or by the possibility to expand?
   Families and cities are dynamic realities… they grow… they decrease… why not having buildings that accompany these trends and constant change?
   At ApART(e), we are testing simple geometric shapes, such as the square/cube, and we have found that it is actually possible and “easy” to create compositions, generating new objects from micro-units… in fact, we can “easily” get thousands of possible combinations with only a few elements.
   Adaptation/Flexibility, Multiplication/Division, Private/Shared… adjustment to the specific needs of each moment…

ArchiSculpture & SculptArchitecture

ArchiSculpture and SculptArchitecture are essentially the symbiosis and fusion between the fundamental assumptions of Architecture, Art/Sculpture & Life, absorbing from each are the most distinctive ingredients, re-interpreting them, aiming at the common goal of “causing sensations”…

1. SYMBIOSIS AND FUSION
   Fusion of Empty Space and Body/Volume… combining the Function/“Severity” of Architecture with the Expressiveness/Tolerance and Freedom of Sculpture…
   Fusion between positive/negative… in a constant quest to work with Light/Shadow in the Space as a “body that allows to be inhabited”… a cyclical and constant conversation between Abstract and Real… a “body that becomes space that becomes body”.
2. RE-INTERPRETATION
   To do what already exists in a new way, do what is familiar differently, reaching in this reinterpretation process objects at the boundary between Architecture and Sculpture, which should end up being “strangely familiar”.
3. LESS IS (MUCH) MORE
   REDUCE TO A MINIMUM, AND… TRUTH OF MATERIALS
   If we privilege Spatiality and Purity, the objects created should be reduced to a Minimum… both in terms of dimension and in the material palette used; whenever possible, they should be “Natural”, Local and Recyclable, used rationally and aiming to take on their true nature, thus taking advantage of their unique characteristics in each specific project/place… because at ApART(e)studio, “Authenticity and Size… do really matter”…
   Reduce to the minimum, since “less is better”… By optimising the areas to the limit, we not only save resources, but also time and unnecessary additional costs… thus making places even more comfortable and sustainable…
   Less area / Less elements / Less Objects = Less resources / Less labour / Less maintenance / Less costs to warm up/cool down… and after all, less time spent tidying up, cleaning and maintaining…
   We believe that Time (this may contradict our statement above that Time does not exist) is one of the most precious assets… it is preferable to spend Saturday morning with the family, reading or taking a stroll, than performing the usual task of “cleaning the house”…

ArchiSculpture (Architecture+Sculpture) is for EVERYONE.

Comfort and aesthetic/spatial quality, as well as fundamental Human Rights, must be guaranteed to everyone, in any part of the world, “without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, sexual orientation national or social origin”… and also to all other non-human/”non-creative” living beings with whom we share this planet…

ArchiSculpture & SculptArchitecture “objects” must be universal and may be anywhere on planet Earth… and beyond.

Objects should have the MINIMUM possible impact on Nature (minimum footprint). Humans have no right to destroy in a few

seconds something that has been formed 4.54 billion years ago.

Therefore, ApART(e) will try to focus as much as possible on the MAXIMUM Respect for Nature and for the Place where it operates.

Art should not confront, but rather complement the Place of which it temporarily makes part, always adding beauty, magnifying what was already beautiful, entering into relation and interacting with all the surrounding elements (which should try to incorporate… or of which it would possibly stand out by contrast)… namely by adapting to the specific weather conditions, ancient construction techniques and materials of the Place…

1. SPACE+BODY
   We privilege to the fullest the spatial, aesthetic and comfort qualities of the object to be created. INSIDE/SPACE & OUTSIDE/SHAPE.
2. LIGHT+SHADOW
   We work intensively with LIGHT (or absence thereof), as a matter to shape/reveal the spaces we create… We like to explore how Light travels in the Void and in the Form, how it manifests and absorbs/is absorbed.
   We pay special attention to the manifestation of matter and how it occurs through the exposure of Matter caused by Light… that is, the Shadow. For us, the shadow is part of and plastically complements any piece of matter, and matter, which is “alive”, naturally kinetic and in constant movement, is a fundamental element that enriches the piece of work, unexpectedly transforming itself into millions of new spots that accompany the Form… every minute of the day.
3. TIME…
   The fourth dimension of Life
   “Last but not least…” TIME… manifested through the transposition of the body in space… of liveability, of Movement.
   Time is the fourth dimension that gives sense to the other three… but after all, since it is ephemerous and unmeasurable… although we constantly work with it, we (sometime) believe that… maybe it does not exist.

* footnote
“Commandments” / Thoughts based on the Author’s 25 years of experience from his comprehensive practice in parallel between Architecture and Sculpture. This is intended to be a living, dynamic and flexible philosophy, like the works to be proposed.

“Rules” in force on Planet (h)eART(h), where ApART(e)studio is based, and, such as the World (where our Body lives) and our Body (the major home of our Soul)… should be constantly amended and updated… because more than answers, we wake up every day looking for new questions… and when eventually the answer arises, the Disquiet ceases to exist, it becomes part of the past…
Sometimes we look back, but only to learn from it and take the necessary “Sustainable Energies…

Sun, Wind… Water… are possible ecological and sustainable energy sources, as an option to fossil fuels… but unfortunately they are not available everywhere in the world, at all times, or accessible for all… therefore, it is hard for us to believe that staking everything in power generation systems that are only available “every now and then, only in some places”…

We know that… on the contrary, Gravity is ubiquitous in every corner of the world… 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, so… why not invest some of our time and creative energy into developing possible ways to use this force on the objects we create, for instance to generate… energy… Light…”