What does curating your own context mean? 

For me, curating my own context means actively defining the themes, references, and critical perspectives that shape my practice. It is about constructing a personal framework that guides the way I approach my work in relation to the contemporary issues that surround us, with the aim of fostering dialogue, reflection, and transformation.

What does curating mean to you? 

It is the act of carefully selecting, editing, and translating ideas, and shaping them into narratives through storytelling in order to communicate a specific message to an audience. This process is guided by a framework shaped by intentions, values, and perspectives.

We should not forget that the word curate comes from the Latin curare, meaning “to care”, to care for what we already have, and to give attention to what we choose to reveal.

What is the most valuable thing that the OnCurating academy has brought to you?

Being part of the OnCurating Academy has fundamentally shifted my perspective. It has become a source of inspiration, redefining the architect as an active agent of research engaged in spatial investigation and storytelling as tools to impact people’s lives. This perspective was reinforced throughout the programme, where all the workshops and reading sessions were highly enriching and were crucial in reshaping how I think. 

Architecture, for me, was once understood as a discipline meant to improve how people live. I now see it more as a platform for communication that, through temporary practices, invites reflection on society.

Alèxia Alcaraz od an architect based in Zurich, originally from Barcelona. Her practice moves beyond a purely functional understanding of architecture, focusing instead on its narrative potential.

Working through ephemeral architecture, she explores adaptable spatial conditions that respond to the complexities of contemporary life, with a focus on ecology, feminism, and the social role of space. She approach architecture as a medium for questioning and imagining alternative ways of living, using it as a platform for discussion that engages communities, raises awareness of contemporary challenges, and fosters critical reflection.