NAMo
6. The Real and the Magical
From Shifting Grounds: A Magical Realist Lens on the Perception of Value
This project uses magical realism to explore how the concept of value is perceived and constructed across different geographies. By blending the ordinary and the extraordinary, it offers a layered view of the cultural, environmental, and socio-economic forces that shape land valuation.
Case Study 1: Bogotá, Colombia - Local Aesthetics and Land Value
Bogotá’s brick architecture reflects a deep cultural and material history. While wealthier residents live in buildings inspired by architects like Rogelio Salmona, lower-income communities occupy the mountaintops near the brick quarries, often lacking basic services. This contrast reveals how aesthetics and inequality are interwoven in the urban landscape.
Case Study 2: The Dunes of Loon and Drunen, the Netherlands – Ecological Recovery and Natural Value
Once damaged by agriculture, this landscape has been restored and revalued as a national park. Forests now protect the dunes, transforming a once-eroded site into an ecological asset.
Together, these studies contrast two ways land value evolves, through urban inequality and environmental restoration. Magical realism helps reframe these realities, questioning how we define and experience value.