PAULVANBLASTER



BIO

Paulvanblaster, an alias for Pablo Encinas Alonso, is an artist and architect based between Madrid and Gothenburg His enquiry lies at the intersection of spatial theory and practice. Trained in Spain and Sweden, he holds degrees in both Architecture and Fine Art.


Most recent projects include: OLIVIA for GIBCA Extended, within the Gothenburg International Biennial of  Contemporary Art, in November 2023. The design of An Amniotic Device installation for the piece [ASMR] Reading You To Sleep. Soft Spoken Relaxation About Affective Capitalism (2020) by artist Gloria López Cleries for the ongoing exhibition Happily Ever After at Malmö Konstmuseum, October 2023 — March 2024. In December 2023, Pablo was invited to collaborate on a piece for artist Jason Bowman's Talk to the Hand show, at Gallery Cora Hillebrand, Gothenburg. Encinas´s project Selfhealth Universe (2023), exhibited at Göteborg Konsthall, was awarded the Eric Ericsons Stiftelse 2023.


His practice explores reciprocal relations between individuals and institutional structures, the private and the public, employing interdisciplinary spatial methods such as mapping,drawing,performing or prototyping.
 

Encinas has presented his work at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. He has also been involved in various pedagogical initiatives, including organizing art, architecture, and design workshops and conferences in Fredericia (Denmark 2017), Rijeka (Croatia 2018), Villars sur Ollon (Switzerland 2019), Valga (Estonia 2020), Palanga (Lithuania 2022), Isosaari (Finland 2021).


His contributions have been featured in exhibitions, film festivals, and publications, showcasing his practice in art, design, and collective endeavors.





NODES

︎ Email
︎ Instagram


INVISIBLE TALES




fig 1

Performance Art & Architecture
Villars sur Ollon, Switzerland. 2019

Summer Workshop
Critical Tourism


Tutors

Ariana Zilliacus (Finland/Japan)
Kipras Kazlauskas (Lithuania)
Paul Van Blaster (pseudonym)

Participants

KATRIIN (Estonia) Katriin Maitsalu
BUSI (South Africa) Busisiwe Mgwenya
NITA (Georgia) Tanit Ivanishvili
JOEL (Sweden) Joel Brynielsson
TOBBI (Iceland) Þórbergur Friðriksson
TAISIA (Belarus) Taisia Mukho
RALI (Bulgaria) Ralitsa Karamusalova
RENAUD (France) Renaud Lecomte
FLORE (Switzerland) Flore B Rossier
LUIZE (Latvia) Luīze Eglīte


fig 1.Instalation at Bretaye lake by Þórbergur Friðriksson. Photo taken by Pablo Encinas.

FULL PUBLICATION LINK


fig.3 Photo by Ariana Zilliacus.
fig. 5 “Make a cow to move”.
Polesibilitie drawing by Joel Brynielsson.


fig.6 Photo by Pablo Encinas.

fig.7  Photo by Alexandra Konochenko.



Invisible Tales Workshop

Description: Invisible Tales is a theoretically driven workshop, critically reflecting over the connection between profit-based tourism and the construction of local identity in an alpine village. This is a context particularly affected by snowmelt and global warming.

A group of students participated in a process-based collective reflection exploring Villars and its surroundings. During this process we analyzed the biography of an object (slalom ski pole)strongly related to the winter alpine imagery. Throughout an artistic interaction with these elements, during the summer season, we explored new forms of relationship between body, objects and their environment, in the absence of snow.




fig.4 Photo by Alexandra Konochenko.

Job performance: In order to challenge the limits between locals and tourists, each workshop participant was “hired” during a full working day in a local job. Participants joined and helped a carpenter, a butcher, a cheese maker and a shepherd among others. This interaction contributed to getting involved in town and improving our context awareness. From Invisible Tales workshop and EASA we give a special thanks to the local citizens of Villars Sur Ollon who welcomed us to their workplaces and businesses.

The result was an artistic catalogue of fictions regarding “new uses” of collectively gathered objects, together with individual and group performances and installations. These design proposals were aiming to challenge the dominant discourses around the red slalom pole and its alpine context.

︎︎︎ Instagram:
@invisible_tales_workshop

(Spanish below)
fig.8 Photo by Ariana Zilliacus.

fig.9  Photo by L eva Karpavičiūtė .


Invisible Tales. Villars sur Ollon (Suiza).

Descripción: Invisible Tales es un taller teórico que reflexiona críticamente sobre la conexión entre el turismo basado en el beneficio económico y la construcción de la identidad local en un pueblo de los Alpes. Contexto especialmente afectado por el deshielo y el calentamiento local.

Un grupo de estudiantes participa en un proceso de reflexión colectiva explorando Villars y sus alrededores. Durante este proceso analizamos la biografía de un objeto fuertemente relacionado con el imaginario alpino invernal (palo de esquí de slalom). A través de una interacción artística con estos elementos, durante la temporada de verano, exploramos nuevas formas de relación entre el cuerpo, los objetos y su entorno, en ausencia de nieve.

Jornada laboral: Para cuestionar los límites entre locales y turistas, cada participante del taller fue "contratado" durante una jornada laboral completa en un trabajo local. Los participantes se unieron y ayudaron a un carpintero, un carnicero, un quesero y un pastor, entre otros. Esta interacción contribuyó a involucrarse en el pueblo y a mejorar nuestra conciencia del contexto local. Desde EASA e Invisible Tales damos un agradecimiento especial a los ciudadanos de Villars Sur Ollon que nos acogieron en sus lugares de trabajo y negocios.

El resultado fue un catálogo artístico de ficciones sobre "nuevos usos" de objetos reunidos colectivamente, junto con actuaciones e instalaciones individuales y colectivas. Estas propuestas de diseño tenían como objetivo desafiar los discursos dominantes en torno al palo de slalom y su contexto alpino.