ROTH - A MUSEUM FOR THE FUTURE
Portrait of Roth, courtesy of AZULIK
“I tried to work by following certain rituals, asking permission from nature. Where there was water, we would leave the water. I never used preconceived ideas. I just looked for spaces between the trees. It is a process of incorporating ourselves into nature”. Roth
Born in Argentina and based in Mexico, Roth is a self-taught architect, ecologist, philanthropist, creative and serial entrepreneur. Guided by three fundamental pillars –art, nature and ancestry– He is the founder and CEO of AZULIK, the SFER IK museums and the Enchanting Transformation foundation, besides the architecture firm Roth Architecture, and the interdisciplinary group Roth Design.
Recognized worldwide as one of the most innovative creatives in design and architecture, Roth creates projects that stimulate the imagination, materializing ideas and proposing new forms of coexistence on the planet. The purpose is to build paths to reconnect beings with themselves, with others and with nature through each initiative.
Sfer Ik, Uh May, Image courtesy of Santiago Baravalle and Julián Guardia
BUILDING THE FUTURE
We asked Roth some questions about his life and work. Here’s an account of what’s important to him and how he is building a future for all of us.
Can you tell us about your childhood? How did you see the world as you grew up?
My childhood was one of deep contact with nature. My memories in Patagonia are of nature, beauty, ancestry. As a kid, at a very young age, I witnessed Mapuche ancestral ceremonies which were very striking. I saw, for example, how they cut out the heart of a horse after making it run. These practices were later discontinued, but they were very strong for me, they stayed with me. Nature is beauty and, in general, that is what I experienced as a child.
Sfer Ik, Uh May, Image courtesy of Santiago Baravalle and Julián Guardia
Was there a profound turning point in your life, and if so how did it change your future?
My turning point has always been the obstacles, which are also the great gift. Astrologically, for me, there is a square in the midheaven that has given me obstacles of all kinds in my life, and for them I am deeply grateful.
You are self-taught. What do you feel about learning and the future of education?
An autodidact is someone who studies for the pleasure of discovery, someone intrinsically curious. I have studied all my life, and toured museums and architectural works, but my greatest learning has come from the Book of Nature. It is a book that I have not stopped reading, every day. Every day I learn something from the birds, the trees, the clouds, the ants, the spiders. We have a constant dialogue.
At the AZULIK tribe we pay a lot of attention to what happens around us in the jungle. We are more than 600 people as part of this project, and we are inspired by the Book of Nature to grow in 18 divisions in 11 industries. Asking permission, showing our gratitude, doing ceremonies, planting seeds, singing.
Sfer Ik, Uh May - Noche, Image courtesy of Santiago Baravalle and Julián Guardia
Could you tell us how SFER IK and the museum came into being?
My goal with the SFER IK Museion was to create a space where visitors could live a unique and personal experience and find inspiration. A space that would enhance people's ability to play and, naturally, they would find their own creativity. It is a human need.
Sfer Ik, Uh May, Image courtesy of Santiago Baravalle and Julián Guardia
Can you talk about the three pillars of nature, art, and ancestry that guide you and why?
In my opinion, these three concepts have the same intention. They are fundamental to reconnect with the essential: light and life. Nature is the Great Mother, and we, as her children, are weaving around the 'ILHUELMECATL', as the Nahuatl grandparents say: the rope of light. The weaving of light. We are weaving a fabric of ancestral wisdom, we are co-creating. Naturally, without intention.
If we look at nature, a flower for example, it is the most sublime expression of what we call art. There is a great secret that we, as a civilization, have forgotten and it is time to remember.
Sfer Ik, Uh May - Detail, Image courtesy of Santiago Baravalle and Julián Guardia
How does a day unfold for you? How do you choose what you will spend your time on?
The most important for me are the four hours before and after sunrise that I dedicate to do my spiritual practices in nature. From the very moment I wake up and greet the sun in the morning, I know there’s a wonderful opportunity ahead to do something, to discover and create something new, from Nature.
Sfer Ik, Uh May - Detail, Image courtesy of Santiago Baravalle and Julián Guardia
How do you approach building a structure?
I start from the notion of coexistence: we are all part of the same wise, millenary, and natural system. The priority, then, is not to affect the life of other species. The first step is always to dream and then try not to hinder the process. As long as we do not become an obstacle ourselves, everything will go well in nature. If we allow the instinctive nature to give birth to forms, we will be fine.
Sfer Ik, Uh May - Detail, Image courtesy of Santiago Baravalle and Julián Guardia
What excites you about the future of architecture?
The opportunity to continue exploring from deep notions of collaboration and co-creation. Creating harmonious environments of possibility is a timeless process, it does not occur in our mind. It has its own rules, it is a new world. It can be a small evolution or it can be a transmutation. We all look for that transmutation in art.
Sfer Ik, Uh May - Detail, Image courtesy of Santiago Baravalle and Julián Guardia
What is the best advice you've ever been given?
"Do things right, Eduardo."
What is in your future?
A path oriented towards co-creation. This is definitely a long and exciting journey, and there's still so much to learn. We hope to keep collaborating not only in our tribe, but also with anyone who wants to be part of this beautiful adventure. We owe everything to this place and we hope to leave a great legacy here.
What motto do you live by?
To be guided by impeccability.
Sfer Ik, Uh May. Image courtesy of Santiago Baravalle and Julián Guardia
“My idea was to create a space where an experience could take place and where people could be inspired – a space that enhance people's ability to play. And naturally, people would find their own creativity; that is a human necessity”.
Sfer Ik, Uh May - Copia, Image courtesy of Santiago Baravalle and Julián Guardia
very laboratory