Hernan Diaz Alonso- Xefirotarch

Hernan Diaz Alonso is the principal designer of the firm Xefirotarch, a firm that specializes in architecture, product design and motion design. The firm began in 2001 and since then it has produced many projects that are inspired by science fiction films, organic elements and even cartoons. Born in Argentina, Alonso has a particular method of design that could be labeled as unconventional and imaginative. Alonso’s design process begins with a meditative brainstorming of abstract elements that will the starting point of his final product. He then proceeds to manipulate the image through various computer programs generating a strive between nature and his own soul. The final product is often not premeditated or fully understood by the artist. He himself refers to one of his highly renowned works, Sur, as a mere “frame for experimentation.” Through this unique process, Alonso shows us that his design method is a free development of usually two ideas that could go in any direction. When beginning a project, Alonso starts by selecting two main abstract ideas. He will then play with these ideas and explore the ways in which the two elements could morph into one. From this idea, Alonso distorts the project making a family of similar, but different concepts. Using animation software he is able to view the design from different angles and explore more organic shapes that can also be set in motion. The end result incorporates undulating forms that reflect the movements that were used for inspiration.



Alonso’s project Sur was designed for a public school in New York and completed in 2005. His concept began with an image of a simple cell that he later warped to create a series of similar images, the family portraits, as he likes to call the images. After contemplating his options, he chose the one that was most aesthetically pleasing and functional for the program. He sends the plans to a workshop where each original piece is fabricated both by hand and machine. Only 20 percent of the structure is fabricated by computers. The materials that were used in this scheme were aluminum for the frame, and fiberglass, latex, polyurethane-sprayed spandex and rubber for the covering.

Alonso is truly an idealist. With an unleashed creativity and imagination, Alonso seeks a world less dominated by conventional architectural processes. In Xefirotarch's work Chlorofilia (disseminated through youtube.com) he directs the attention of the viewer towards the notion of earth as the center of creation and life. This video, which is brief yet informative, not only pokes fun at and criticizes American living, but it also explores Alonso's alternative thought of the future. Through his use of digital images and designs he is able to represent his ideas of nature and our integration with it. On the other hand, one of his other projects, Sangre (Spanish for blood), represents his struggle to get to know and understand further his own nature. This large installation, presented permanently in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, conjugates the human idea of blood as life, and brings it in a larger scale similar to that of a living creature. He gives this particular product a much higher social connotation by using patented Ferrari paint to cover the arms of the blood creature. Alonso is truly a digital artist. As Matisse, or Titian did in their time, he uses the highest technology to describe his personal and social perception of nature, film, and life.




Alonso relies completely on computers for his design process. He feels that computers can be compared to conventional drafting tools, and therefore, computer programs still rely on skill. Alonso expresses the idea that it is the responsibility of all architects to go out on a limb and take chances. According to the designer, it is acceptable for architects to be boastful and for them to push the limit because in this way, architecture will move forward. Through the use of computer technology, Alonso feels that this objective will become a reality. Even though he refers to his work as romantic and organic, the beauty that remains in his designs is innovative and futuristic. His idea of the future basis of design is letting nature dictate the rules. Alonso says that our forefathers could not have been further from the truth when they envisioned a future based solely on technology. We will not go in reverse, but our future life styles will be reconnected back to nature through responsible design.

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