The arabica coffee plant was introduced to Brazil some 300 years ago and, through the exploitation of enslaved then immigrant labour, grew into an industry that takes up two million hectares of land today. Centuries of extractive culture have not only devastated the environment but entrenched social inequities. Unpredictable and extreme weather events are further threatening livelihoods in the countryside. Despite a brutal history and ever-precarious present, there is a movement in the country towards regenerative agriculture and reforestation.
With an Acre follows architect Carla Juaçaba as she develops a museum and community space in solidarity with Flor de Café, a collective of smallholder farmers in Minas Gerais. Inspired by the temporality of Indigenous collective structures and the form of highway billboards that mark the extended rural landscape in the region, Juaçaba proposes a landmark on an elevated plantation overlooking the town of Nepomuceno. Light and tactical construction will provide a space for sharing knowledge, offering a symbolic stage of resistance while leaving a minimal trace on the earth. The pavilions will frame views of the region, but more importantly will set a vision for the future of the territory.
With an Acre is the third chapter of Groundwork, a three-part film and exhibition series exploring alternative modes of architectural practice, which also featured To Build Law.
