On summer afternoons, Santiago’s geological basin is stirred by strong westerly winds that hit the Andes, unveiling the power of contrasting entities: the air of the flat valley, heated by the sun, is pushed up towards the cold peaks. The dense constructions in the capital disrupt the flow of the air, but even where the citizens can’t feel it, its motion is present.

The project Atrapavientos [Windcatcher] seeks to catch the invisible warm winds in their journey to the cool heights, rendering the invisible tangible. A 3x4.5m structure composed of plastic bags arranged in a juxtaposed pattern inflate and deflate with the wind, catching it and letting it go, revealing the Andean flows./