37.2 is the result of an encounter between Italian architect, Francesca Bonesio and French photographer, Nicolas Guiraud.Our production and research are centered on the relational and narrative potential of space. Our work is mainly in situ. We tend to include the human species in the design and conception of our installations. In the Anthropocene era, the human species is a form of walking ecosystem that is defined by its temperature rather than its scale. Each site – urban, natural, gallery, museum - such as a theatre stage, has a psychological and spiritual power that is at the core of our reflection. We think of our installation as site experiences that have a power upon public’s imagination, a power to stimulate ones’ imagination instead of shaping it. Our approach consists of creating and applying spatial layouts that provoke a shift in our everyday perception and tend to blur the frontier between reality and fiction. Through micro-architectures, land art, inhabited sculptures, ephemeral art works – we develop installations that generate intensity and prod public’s intimate fictions.
Francesca Bonesio was born in Torino, Italy. She obtains a M.A. in Architecture (2001) and a Ph.D. (2007) in Architectural Restoration at the Politecnico of Turin, where she teaches as studio assistant at the faculty of architecture. Between 2001 and 2008, she works for several architectural firms in Turin and in Paris. She founds 37.2 in 2009. She teaches at Parsons Paris and at Condé Paris.
NICOLAS GUIRAUD was born in Bayonne, France. He studied economics and philosophy in Paris. He started photography collaborating with Magnum Photos agency where he became creative director between 2003 and 2007. His personal work deals with the idea of frontiers at large. His approach combines documentary photography with artists works : Anthropocene / Se vende / The Whitewalkers / Graft / A vernacular utopia ... He works on assignment (portraits and editorials) for various Magazines and institutions: Financial Time Magazine, M / Le Monde, Vanity Fair, Libération, Paris National Opera, Le Louvre, Atlantico, Elle, Zadig, L'Express, La Republica ... His work has been exhibited in various galleries and institutions: Arles Festival, Palais de Tokyo, GZ Gallery, Temple Gallery, Jorg Brockman Gallery .... He published 2 books: Anthropocene with French writer Marie Darrieussecq and 50 official portraits In addition to photography, he founded and run with Francesca Bonesio since 2009 the micro-architecture Atelier 37.2 www.nicolasguiraud.com