Ayni

The story of the Peruvian diasporas in Geneva is one

of borrowing a language,

of hardship, of arriving without savings or bed, of not being accepted, of having to provide, to send back,

of discrimination,

of fear, of being found out, of being forced to return, of losing touch,

of refusal of a label,

of grief, of a painful past and future,

of nostalgia, of longing for a past or one that never was,

but also

of shared learning,

of joy shared through food and music,

of laughter,

of gratefulness,

of resilience,

of mutualism,

of Ayni.

For those existing in diverse worlds, surpassing temporal and spatial confines, the concept of home is fluid, unbound by form, state, or time. Gathering together in diasporic spaces can evoke memories of home. By existing together in these places, we thread our individual narratives to a larger history, weaving a sense of belonging, identity and embracing nostalgia. Nestled in the crevices of the city, these collective spaces of resistance and security grow in an uninviting climate, soaked in the fear and miscomprehension of the ‘other’. Understanding the complexity of these spaces relies on grasping their types which transgress the paradigm of program.

The fictive Ayni cooperative grows into the St-Gervais urban island in Geneva, crystallising a home away from home for the Peruvian community and acting like a support structure to the existing diasporic spaces. Ayni grows in three steps - expanding - claiming - building and connecting - which can keep working by themselves if the next one fails by lawfully claiming and occupying spaces around the Here Peruvian grocery shop. This shop acts not only as a place to sell and purchase Peruvian products but as a social center for the community.

Acting on the island's possibilities of exposing and concealing, the following architectural gestures act as a reminder of the diasporic condition, often hesitating between fighting for visibility and claiming a space or retiring into a safer environment. All materials have been chosen to be low-cost and easy to build.

Free Master Thesis Spring 2024

Project by: Miranda Reynolds

Teaching team: Anna Puigjaner, Dafni Retzepi, He Shen