Marina Fernández, the only Spanish representative at the European CityLeaks festival

Marina Fernandez

The Rey Juan Carlos University professor will visit the cities of Dusseldorf and Cologne to attend the renowned urban intervention fair that brings together design, architecture and art professionals from all over the world.

Christian Lopez Manzano

From September 18 to 22, Marina Fernández, professor of the Degree in Integral Design at the URJC, will travel to Germany to attend the prestigious cityleaks Festival, invited by him Goethe Institute and the 'NRW KULTURsekretariat'. There you will have the opportunity to meet and participate in a series of debate and cultural exchange sessions together with other professionals in the sector from all over the world; from Egypt to Thailand.

The expert in design and architecture not only works as a professor at the Rey Juan Carlos University, but is also co-director of the studio C+ Architects, technical director of superframe (Public Art Program of Extremadura), founder of Underwater Study and creator of projects such as "Weaving the Street" or “Flying”, among others.

Professor Fernández has a special interest in social mediation through intervention projects or activities in public spaces and for this reason, through Supertrama and her Submarina studio, she launches different initiatives such as the aforementioned "Weaving the Street" that it began in 2013. “Carrying out projects like 'Weaving' are very valuable to me. Both for favoring the decentralization of this type of initiative, and because they allow us to reflect, look from a different perspective, become aware and act - on a small scale - on essential issues such as depopulation, identity, memory, the community, and all those issues that affect our rurality”, explains Fernández.

"Weaving the Street" is a project developed in collaboration with the weavers and neighbors of Valverde de La Vera (Extremadura) that consists of making parasols using the crochet technique that are installed in the streets of the municipality during its cultural week and the festivities of the locality that take place in August. In addition, each participant makes their own personal designs in relation to the general theme chosen for each edition since it is repeated and renewed annually. The idea of recycling and sustainability is very present and for this reason, recycled plastic material is used to make the pieces: shopping bags, plastic packaging... are reused, which are later transformed into long strips that can be woven.

This activity has greatly helped to give visibility to Supertrama initiatives and Submarina projects for their value and quality. So much so that the result of this year's edition was exhibited last spring at Milan Design Week after being a finalist for Guiltlessplastic, a contest focused on sustainability and recycling organized by the Italian gallery owner and patron Rossana Orlandi. This recognition is very valuable for the URJC professor since "it is very important that a project of these characteristics, carried out by older women from rural areas, be recognized by an international call like this, and exhibited at Milan Design Week Fuorisalone”, he affirms.

Marina Fernández has promoted more social projects from Submarina apart from “Weaving the Street”. “Through the study, she carried out research and activities of a more personal nature, linked to participatory processes or interventions in community settings, such as, for example, the 'Vegetable Ecosystem' that we apply in the Buenafuente special education school in Madrid, in which, together with Marta García and Ana Cebrían from Pedagogías Invisibles, we built some sculptures through an artistic-pedagogical process in which students with intellectual disabilities participated to prepare the garden where they play during breaks”, narrates the teacher.

The talent of the professor at the Rey Juan Carlos University gives even more of herself and takes time to fulfill her duties as co-director of C+ Arquitectas. In this studio, located in London and Madrid, Fernández carries out very diverse works: from refurbishing spaces to designing exhibitions and ephemeral installations. “We focus on what we call Environmental Mediations: we explore how we can improve environmental and social conditions, etc. through space”, says the expert in design and architecture.

Looking ahead, Marina Fernández also has a commitment in October. Date on which the next festival organized by Madrid Street Art Project that encourages and promotes the achievement of ephemeral installations in the public-urban space, where the URJC professor will present a piece together with 7 other invited artists.