Pedro Reyes & Carla Fernández: Hecho en México | Art21 "Exclusive"

[Carla Fernández] We met a long time ago in college.

Yes.

[Pedro Reyes] Yeah, she had some pants that
were made of

purple fake fur that I couldn't help noticing.

[BOTH LAUGH]

We knew each other like ten years or so before
we became a couple.

[Fernández] He was making a show with
Hans Ulrich [Obrist]

at Casa Barragán

and he invited me to a collaboration with him.

[Reyes] But it was only an excuse so I could
hang out with her on a regular basis.

But then later we discovered that we were
not good at collaborating

but doing other stuff instead.

[BOTH LAUGH]

[Fernández] Collaborating, making kids.

[LAUGHS]

[Reyes] Carla is more into textiles.

I'm more into stone-making or welding or weaving.

[Fernández] When Pedro works with communities
he works more with students

or with young people that have
had a chance to study or go to college.

I go to the fields.

I work with women that don’t speak Spanish.

We communicate through drawings
and through textiles.

[Reyes] What she does is unlike any other
designer in the world.

Her operations may be small
compared to big brands,

but her style is very unique and immediately
you can identify this

and it's because of the geometry.

[Fernández] When I started making clothing,
I had two choices.

One was to copy the things
that the communities make,

because that was for sure going to be my inspiration,

or work together with the communities.

We use squares and rectangles because
that is like the DNA of Mexican patterning.

I love geometry.

[Reyes] Yeah we both love geometry.

We both have a very strong interest in
Mexican heritage in terms of craft

because we both work with artisans.

[Fernández] We have this beautiful house
that we made with artisans.

For me the most important thing is
that this house is made by hand.

[Reyes] In Mexico, we use concrete all the time.

Casting is something that we like a lot.

It’s a different approach to the way that
houses are built in the United States

where everything is wood.

We moved into this house like a year ago.

It was a kind of concrete shell,
that had very different finishing.

We just keep adding.

It's all cast in concrete.

The whole house is a sculpture.

It’s a very slow process
of doing this living space.

[Fernández] The people come, it’s like
"Oh I love your '50s floor"

and it took us a year and a half.

They think that the floor was here.

[Reyes] This is volcanic stone.

That is what the molcajetes are made of.

The materials are not very luxurious
but everything was handmade.

[Fernández] It makes it, in a way, personal--

that you know who is making your house.

You know who you’re taking care of
or who’s taking care of you.

Mexico has all these Starbucks,

and you go through the world

and you see these places that the coffee,
it tastes the same

or the logo is the same.

It’s necessary, but we also have to

have our own little workshops, ateliers, craftsmanship.

I want my kids to live in a place that
it has flavor.

The younger generations would like to be doctors,

but they also should be very proud of being artisans.

I wish everyone would have choices.

[CLAPPING]