'vacío' by PALMA is an ephemeral paper installation in mexico city

PALMA has realized an ephemeral installation inside a factory and office complex in mexico city. titled ‘vacío’, meaning ’empty’ in spanish, the temporary intervention seeks to modify the limits and the experience of the space where it is placed. the installation has been constructed with more than 1,200 recycled sheets of paper, which were collected from the offices of various architecture firms.

all images by luis young / video by luis young and arturo arrieta

PALMA then dyed the paper sheets blue, erasing the previously existing drawings and text and unifying them as part of the temporary intervention. the paper was then repurposed as a set of four floating curtains that loosely delineate an interior space. ‘the lightness of ‘vacío’ allows the air flow to constantly modify the defined geometry of the prism,’ explains the design team.

‘inside, the space mutates and interacts with the visitor, almost forcing them to move around as the hanging sheets breathe,’ the architects continue. PALMA adds that its main concern was to not generate more waste. ‘it is important to understand the environmental impact of ephemeral projects,’ the team concludes. see other projects by PALMA on designboom here, including a small dwelling on mexico’s pacific coast.

project info:

name: vacío
location: mexico city, mexico
architect: PALMA