HAVING DUENDE
Reading the article by Mariona Rubio and Marina P. Asins in AD magazine on "Gardens are no longer decorated: the new rationalist trend will leave you speechless", where they refer to the Genius Loci as a starting point in front of the blank paper and giving the first design sketch.
Genius Loci is that guardian spirit that accompanies and defines the place, which gives it its identity and vital force. For me, it would also be "having duende", (in Spain we say "tener duende" or "having elves/goblins" to refer to having a particular and special magic), and I mean the more Andalusian concept of "having duende". Art, magic, charisma, attraction... a spirit that surrounds you and certainly catches you.
I immediately remembered that each garden I´ve designed had its "duende"… like an ancient olive tree, the spirit of a winery and its vineyards, a transept patio with hedges of myrtle, rose bushes and orange trees as if it were the Alhambra, and of course the Architecture, because when the gardens are wonderful with their shapes and textures they embrace it, melting into a deep relationship.
For me there are gardens that attract and inspire love, and one wants to be there, immersed in its charm. Connect with the place, understand it, and take care of it. See your "duende" and give it its realm, its identity in design and nature.
Read article in REVISTA AD