Meet Agustin Salas | Architect | Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Agustin Salas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Agustin, why did you pursue a creative career?
I just remember when I was a child surrounded by drawings, art, music, books etc I grew up totally in love with curiosity: curiosity for sounds, nature, objects, sport, art; fascinated with the idea and the vision to transform the world and reimagine the future in some way. The shapes, the structure, the color, the texture, the aroma, the light, the shadow, the guitar, the saxophone, the language, the body, all of these were a way of understanding the physical world. If we have to use a scientific basic formula, such as observation, we could spend years, decades, centuries, eras, simply observing the behavior of a flower and still never get to know it entirely. For me, choosing the creative path was the best way to always discover something new, unexpected. It is similar to entering an infinite universe and being able to understand basic aspects of the perception of reality and utopia. That’s why I consider myself a dreamer, I like to explore different worlds, latitudes, planets, stars, galaxies, frequencies, boundaries etc. It’s like going to the jungle. If we were to ask ourselves what creativity is, for example if you ask Chatgpt “are you a creative mind?” the answer is: “As an AI language model, I do not possess consciousness or creativity in the same sense that humans do”. Now, the creative being is in everything, it is a natural state in the existence of the human being. We have thousands of years of civilization and the evolution of humanity is fantastic, and has grown exponentially in the last 100 years, precisely because of human consciousness and creativity in every aspect of life, in every art, trade, discipline, science, etc. Even in the most pragmatic areas there is creation. If you look around, there is always a creative mind behind everything, but what is around us doesn’t always create a good experience today. Design touches so many levels of human life that evolve progressively in our world.

It’s easy to choose a creative career since it’s in almost everything we do. Architects, Artists in ancient times created paintings, sculptures, spaces and other works of art that reflected the cultural values and beliefs of their societies, and after many centuries, we are still doing that. So architects have a tremendous roll in our society.

I found a unique connection in architecture. It was very easy for me to take this path. I graduated as an architect from the University of Los Andes, Venezuela in 2002, where I found myself seduced by my academic years. I must have been a peculiar student, filled with an explosive energy of ideas and particularly as a 3d dimensional storyteller. I was very lucky and blessed, because I had no pressure from my family. I was free to choose what I wanted to do. I have gone through several artistic disciplines that have somehow led me to be a multidisciplinary designer. I explore different approaches in my projects that help to overcome standard visions of formulas or pre-conceived versions of an idea in the field of design. I felt that we could turn anything into an opportunity. Architecture is one of the few disciplines in which everybody plays their own instrument, but all together, we can be a fantastic orchestra.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m an architect and sustainable designer by training. I have a degree in architecture. I do building design, interior design, planning, industrial design, furniture creation. When you approach a floor plan, a key word to understand the layout is the “flow”. So, all things need to flow… things cannot be hard, otherwise they create too much friction and eventually become unusable or a badly engineered design. I think for many people it is more obvious to see in industrial design products, Interior Design, it’s sometimes more obscure in Architecture what bad engineering design means. A good engine results from good design, and to become a good designer takes long periods of continuous dedication and discipline, with many failures along the way. It is like a musician. I love music. That’s why I always use musicians as an example! A musician from the moment that you start getting involved with an instrument, let’s say a piano, or guitar (if you really want to play the instrument!), that small step requires a lot of hours of practice and dedication, up to the point that you start singing the phrases or the score of the song in every second of your day. If you want to be part of an orchestra, you need to rise to a different level…. but if you really want to be a front liner of violins in an orchestra, it would require yet another level of involvement, but now you want to be a solo player. This needs something else. I think every creative professional designer at some point develops their own narrative or a collective one, and there are many fluid ways to scale up and make your perception wider, but you need to act like you are caring for a small plant, it will grow with water every day.

I’m going to be 46 this year, and I feel as though I’m still in school… Living with an open mind means you are always studying and learning, living inspired, and when we talk about inspiration, we should see that we can be inspired by many different things and doing the exercise of seeing where your ideas are coming from is really important… There are people that create formulas, and recipes etc. but in the world we are living now, inspiration is really about “criteria”, so what we call inspiration is an accumulation of experiences in our lives and always finding and seeing new opportunities where the ultimate idea for a designer is to create pleasure and wellbeing.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Day 1: Art Deco District and Beach Day Start your Miami trip by exploring the Art Deco District in South Beach. Walk along Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue to admire the colorful buildings and unique architecture. Then, head to the beach and soak up the sun on the soft sand or take a refreshing dip in the ocean.

Day 2: Wynwood Walls and Museum Day
Visit the Wynwood Walls, a unique outdoor gallery filled with colorful murals and street art. Then, head to the Pérez Art Museum and the Ascaso Gallery or the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami to experience some of the best contemporary art in the city. You can also find interesting exhibitions in the Little Haiti Cultural Center. Finish the day with dinner and drinks at 7ty One Cafe in Normandy Isle.

Day 3: Vizcaya Museum and Botanical Gardens.
Start your day with breakfast at Pura Vida in the Design District, then head to the stunning Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, a National Historic Landmark filled with European-inspired architecture and lush gardens. Follow this with a visit to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden before heading to dinner at Juvia in South Beach.

Day 4: Everglades Adventure and Beach Day
Escape the city and explore the natural beauty of the Everglades National Parks and explore multiple trails to see the wildlife in their natural habitat. Then, head back to the beach for a sunset stroll, followed by dinner at Mandolin Aegean Bistro.

Day 5: Beach Day and Farewell Dinner
Spend your last day in Miami enjoying the sun, sand, and surf. In the evening, head to Zaika Indian Cuisine for a farewell dinner and toast to an amazing week in Miami.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

The digital world is creating a new order, so many tools and new production methods that inspire me to find new ways of representing beauty. The digital language, the new way of living, the end of so many boundaries, more sustainable and regenerative solutions, the democratization and access to a more educated world is radically different and is possible today because of the drastic technological advances we’ve seen in the last decades. As you can tell, I’m very optimistic, so when I think about time, the perception of our future for me is now! And the present is something that you really have to live intensely, because it’s a gift, and it will not come back in the same way. It is like the most exciting part of the film. It is like being around all the stars, and it is just the best gift ever.

Since I studied design, “beauty” is my favorite word. I studied different authors, writers, and artists just to understand the word “beauty”, but it was not until I met my wife that I deeply understood what beauty is. I have been inspired by her, by my family, my parents, my brother and musical partner, my sister. In each phase of my life, I found teachers who have influenced my perception in some way, and remember every class and phrase from them, something that I deeply appreciate: Time works like a river where the water shapes those sharp, youthful angles and the stones, gradually transform into a very sinuous and organic natural sculpture. So, the times I’ve felt lost, I’ve been lucky enough to meet and share with wonderful human beings who showed me how to walk along those terrains with no light. I always thank all of them.

Website: www.agustinsalas.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/agustinsalas.studio

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agustinsalas

Twitter: https://twitter.com/asalasarchitect

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agustinsalas.studio

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0uKHNrJwnPZhA8LDAskHFd?si=10l_dQsVR-eKgBJ3xyEOdQ

Image Credits
Javier Ospina Agustin Salas Midjourney