Built entirely of painter's buckets, the One Bucket at a Time Pavilion in Mexico City is an interactive installation that lets city residents enjoy the value of Mexico’s urban public spaces.
Designed in a collaborative effort by Winnipeg, Manitoba–based 5468796 Architecture and Mexico City–based Factor Eficiencia, along with Boulder, Colo.–based Studio NYL Structural Engineers, the installation was built for Mextrópoli 2017, an international architecture festival that took place in March. Shaped like a giant carpet, the installation can be rolled, pulled together, and stood on by the public.
In Mexico City, the vine viene use buckets like those in the installation to mark off sections of the public streets, bribing police, and up charge fees for parking spots. The use of common painter’s buckets is in direct response to this control of public space. Instead of taking it hostage, the buckets in the installation reopen the public space up to the people and empower the them to reclaim their city, one bucket at a time.
