On behalf of the boards and staffs of INSITE in both Mexico and the US, we are delighted to present INSITE Journal_07 devoted to “A Timeless Way of Building,” the first chapter of curator Andrea Torreblanca’s project for Commonplaces, The Sedimentary Effect.

                A hallmark of INSITE over the past three decades has been its commitment and flexibility to adapt to and track the interests of artists and curators as their projects unfold over relatively long periods of time. A Timeless Way of Building is a perfect example. Beginning in a meeting with the somewhat elusive artist from Mexicali, Baja California, Pastizal Zamudio, and the artist’s revelation of the house where they were born as having been designed by a “famous architect called Christopher,” the project has evolved to encompass, among other elements: three years of curatorial research; two commissions with artists; two commissions with architects; multiday Conversations with architects, historians, and city planners in both Mexicali and San Diego; a modest, yet complex exhibition; and this publication, the seventh issue of the INSITE Journal. Through multiple layers that raise topics including affordable housing in the border region, sustainable building practices, migrant housing, and processes of collective design and living, A Timeless Way of Building confirms for us a fundamental tenant of INSITE’s practice: if artists are provided ample resources— time, space, and dialogue with strong curators and collaborators—they can conceive works that may affect public consciousness and prompt public engagement around urgent contemporary issues.

                We are immensely grateful to the many individuals and institutions that have collaborated with INSITE over the past three years on the varied components of A Timeless Way of Building. As they are acknowledged elsewhere in the Journal, we don’t list them all here. But we do want to express special thanks to our primary partners, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC) (through Alejandro Peimbert and Leticia Gabriela Rodríguez Pedraza), Bread & Salt (through Isabel Dutra, James Brown, and Thomas DeMello), and Planta Libre (Mino Kiyota). The significance of their generosity and support cannot be overstated. We offer heartfelt thanks to the artists and architects who agreed to take on commissions, to the writers and scholars who have contributed to this publication, to Andrea and Felipe Orensanz who cocurated the exhibition The Mexicali Experimental Project in San Diego, and to the participants and audience for public programs—including a stalwart group of students and volunteers from seven faculties of UABC who stuck it out for three days of INSITE Conversations under the Mexicali sun in late May of 2023. The Journal and the exhibition have been made significantly richer by the willingness of the Center for Environmental Structure (through Maggie Moore Alexander), Howard Davis, and Peter Bosselmann and Dorit Fromm who opened their archives and permitted us to display and publish amazing material for the first time. As always, the talented and dedicated staff members and boards of both INSITE (US) and INSITE Proyectos de Arte AC (MX) deserve enormous recognition. And finally, we thank Andrea for leading us on this remarkable journey.

                The realization of A Timeless way of Building would not have been possible without significant support from haudenschildGarage Foundation, La Atalaya Foundation, the Prebys Foundation, and the City of San Diego through World Design Capital 2024. We are truly honored by the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts’ decision to support the publication of INSITE Journal__07: A Timeless Way to Build.