More selected projects

AnaAna
June 21, 2017

Meet Ana

Marcela Gracia

Why did you study Architecture?

For me, architecture is the most beautiful profession. I experience it as art, science, craft, a philosophy…It involves so much knowledge, creativity and talent that it gives the possibility and freedom to be whatever you wish for. Even Vitruvius wrote, in the first century, that “the ideal architect should be a man of letters, a skillful draftsman, a mathematician, familiar with historical studies, a diligent student of philosophy, acquainted with music, not ignorant of medicine, learned in the responses of jurisconsults, familiar with astronomy and astronomical calculations.” I love how it merges all those various fields. You explore people and space – you explore about yourself. It allows you to constantly grow .  

My architect hero?

Japanese self-taught & Pritzker Prize 1995 winner Architect, Tadao Ando: “I believe that the way people live can be directed a little by architecture.”

I love his simplicity and purism; the way he plays with light, curves and shadows; the way he emphasizes the association between nature and architecture...In any case, I am fan of Japanese Architecture altogether.

Return to Journal

My two favorite buildings?

 

Two classics: Parthenon – Athens, Greece and Gaudi’s Casa Batllo– Barcelona, Spain. Those are going to be architecture masterpieces forever. 

 

Your Favorite Foods?

Food from Mom’s kitchen - Serbian traditional food: gibanica (traditional pastry dish), sarma (stuffed cabbage), podvarak (sour cabbage and meet baked in oven), burek and lot more. In addition to Serbian, I love Italian specialties too, - who doesn’t?

Top songs on my mp3 player? 

When it comes to music, I can’t choose one (or three) particular song. Queen : “Bohemian Rhapsody”; Pink Floyd : “Hey You” & “Comfortably Numb”; The Knife : “Pass This On”…then…Yann Tiersen and his music for the movie “Amelie”…”Caruso” and plenty more 

Pink FloydPink Floyd

If I could live inside a work of art, I would choose…

Tower of Babel : When everyone on Earth spoke the same language. 

In my spare time, I always loved solving puzzles – from 1,000 to 3,000 pieces. My favorite one is a Tower of Babel puzzle that I got from my parents 10 years ago. It has 5,000 pieces and, even tough I tried a couple of times, there is still no success in making it one piece. Hope I’ll manage to build my Tower of Babel one day.

Tower of Babel, by Lucas van Valckenborch, 1594, Louvre Museum.Tower of Babel, by Lucas van Valckenborch, 1594, Louvre Museum.

Secret ambition?

To be a professional pianist. I was playing piano professionally for 10 years and I'm sure I will come back to it one day again. 

 

Favorite San Diego experience?

Beach sunsets in San Diego – each one is different, colors are unreal…they are stunning! Everyone has to experience California sunsets!

 

What’s next?

Obtaining my architecture license. 

Latest From The Journal