Vesper No. 6 | Magic | Spring-Summer 2022
Damiano Di Mele
Destino
The concept of destiny
operates in various fields that range from religion, through mythical
representations, to the most discrepant modern philosophical positions. The
term fatum is replaced by that of destiny: while fate cannot be
changed and follows an ‘unchangeable’ order – imposed by the
divine –, the term destiny, today, can be manipulated because it belongs
to human characteristics. It is subordinate to that free will which
opposes any predestination. Such an opposition is interpreted by architect
Fernando Higueras (1930-2008) in the project for his house-studio called
Rascainfiernos. The magical, mysterious, and surreal home, built in the
Chamartín district of Madrid. A refuge for the mind and body, which welcomes
and summarizes the contemporary idea of destiny in which man is the master of his own actions. His friend
Francisco Nieva, reading the tarot to him, sees him in the space of three years
underground. To exorcise destiny, the architect thus decides to build an
artificial cave, dug with his ‘bare hands’, capable of evoking an
imaginary that refers to that dark universe of enchantment, of magic,
where he will live for another thirty years.
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