To draw the water for to see the Alhambra

Abstract

The Alhambra and its cultural landscape, fascinating heritage, has interested travellers and visitors from its construction. They have tried expressing its beauty in drawings, engraves and other artistic representations. Materials are used with such wisdom that the Alhambra is an example of permanent contemporaneity thanks to its mysterious simplicity. Among materials, the water, which has structured the landscape and was a symbolic element for Arabs, is the most enigmatic material that builts the cultural landscape of the Alhambra. We would like to understand such a subtle and powerful matter as water as something belonging to the “Space Alhambra”, in order to understand the essence of its spaces. Thus, for “seeing”, architect has one of the most simple but powerful tools: hand drawing. The way that the pencil flows through the white paper emerging the message of water and lighting its materiality is an amazing experience. “Seeing the water with our hands” will be as decoding the way that the landscape of the Alhambra and its architecture has been created. In the following article we show a drawing travel through water and its spaces. Written texts appear just as a complement and give precise clues to understand specific aspects of the liquid. We have tried to listen the voice of water, understand its language. Our “liquid” way of looking tries suggesting to the reader the happiness of seeing forward.