Tell us a bit about yourself
My name is Alfonso Ruano Canales, I'm 26, I've lived in Madrid, Nantes, Madrid, Paris, Shanghai, Paris, Madrid. I've received my architectural formation at ETSAM in Madrid. I'm currently finishing my PFC, which will allow me to do and be responsible of both design and all things related with construction of an architectural project. I've been doing architectural competitions since 2000, that's the main body of my work, I've also done some work in the fields of graphic design and interior design.

How would you describe your work process?
One thing that could define my work is that I'm always trying to build external tools or devices which lead me to the final shape of ideas. I don't want to take part too directly, I just want things to be natural. Meaning that the context itself where I'm working in will define the physical form. The result is sometimes ugly, undesigned, but could have the gravity of those old European cities built with hundreds of different layers of complexity. I end up producing something closer to artifacts than conventional buildings since I use lots of ready-mades. This it's my take to the assumed idea of architecture perfectly adapted to the site.

so the process is quite organic?
I would say that I always work in a linear way, when a problem appears, it doesn't make all the precedent work wrong or useless, it just needs to be regenerated with a new layer of information. For example on the lamp and the chair, I tried to use only materials that I could find in a supermarket, that's the way I work with context, I don't think a young artist should use complex or expensive procedures, it isn't the right time to do it. I didn't make any drawings I just try to find the inner logic of each material, like the wooden clip having the exact shape of the electric device. I couldn't have designed a priori, I don't want to design anything, I place some rules and players and that's all.

You work with both architecture and art, did one lead to the other?
I consider architecture my main field. Art helps me to produce more abstract ideas, I use it like a laboratory of concepts that I might use on my architectural work.

What's the most interesting project you've worked on?
Last winter in Shanghai I took part in a workshop, we worked on the highway knots of the region, trying to understand such behemot objects. They are designed with only one purpose but at the end they are beautiful, with a natural complexity and trueness. There is no truth in the hand of the designer in something like this, the complexity of pure function defines it. We produced some amazing stuff, both graphic and theoretic. I would love to put all this together in a book as I'm very interested in architectural theory.

Do you have anything in particular that inspires you or your style?
I will quote Wim Wender, it has to "look old and new at the same time"