Interview: Eileen Meyer Architect
Luca Curci talks with Eileen Meyer Architect during VISIONS, third appointment of the ANIMA MUNDI 2022, at Palazzo Bembo – Venice Grand Canal.

After studying art history and archaeology in Würzburg (D), she graduated in architecture from the University of Venice. Eileen is a self-employed architect operating in Italy and Germany. She is a certified Active House Verifier and was cofounder of Active House Italia. Her background as a certified Passive House designer and ‘Klimahausberater’ keeps on looking Eileen for new building solutions that satisfy the sustainability part of construction and a social approach to urban planning. As Competition Committee Member of ActiveHouse Award and Member of Scientific Committee of ActiveHouse Alliance International ( TU Copenhagen ) she represented the german AktivPlus eV in the International Active House Board of Directors (BOD) as Member of ActiveHouse Alliance International. Her passion for art, photography, design and exploring different cultures are an optimal background in her planning of sustainable and comfortable living spaces.

Currently, her focus is on bringing the CoCoN project to the world to give true depth to concepts such as sustainability and mindful living. She is actively engaged with the call to revise the current model of society with the realization of the holistic centers CoCoN through the creation of new communities. She has been working on Lake Garda since 2006, helping people to realize their dream of owning a holiday home in Italy. Through the experience of a holistic center in Southeast Asia and her certification as a holistic trainer, she gained a new perspective on living spaces.

The consciousness that there is energy in all matter, which resonates with our behavior and our health, has led her to a new way of looking at architecture. So today she is involved in the realization of living spaces that enable people to be in harmonious vibration with themselves and their surroundings by reinterpreting the quality of the space they are in from a physical and energetic point of view. She loves connecting people and taking them to a new dimension of their quality of life and architecture. The CoCoN project is allowed to emerge worldwide, uniting cultures but above all raising our awareness of the much-needed harmony with Mother Earth, our planet. CoCoN is characterized by the emergence of communities that actively support this unique form of holistic centers as towers of light for a mindful and sustainable way of life through workshops to get to know already existing materials such as clay, straw, hemp, bamboo or rice. Her love of traveling and contact with ever new cultures enables her to expand her awareness of holistic connections of being more and more.

Luca Curci – What is art for you?
Eileen Meyer Architect – I must admit, I have difficulty defining art. Everything is art: every plant, every living thing. The universe is a work of art. It depends on what each of us understands by art. Whether we are willing to limit ourselves to a definition of art or whether we want to look at art in its maximum extension. Life is art. Breathing is art. The human body is art. Art is existence, and that in all its forms. In Italian they say it so beautifully… l’arte del vivere! The art of living!

LC – What are you currently working on?
EMA – Well, if we may assume that life in all its forms is a work of art, this would mean that I am currently working on a great human project, a society-oriented work of art. My video presentation “CoCoN – The Emergence of Holistic Oases of Life as Places of Retreat and Social Growth” is about exactly that, the art of living, which we are increasingly moving into the background today. Basically, it is about being able to perceive ourselves once again as a work of art! Each and every one of us bears within itself a great creative source. If we move again in our primal trust and the awareness of being part of a greater whole, it is possible for us to live in balance with ourselves, our fellow human beings, and our planet. The more you know about yourself and your environment, the more you will trust the laws of nature. It is not the earth that needs us, we are depending on the earth. When we live in harmony with nature, we can once again access all the gifts that we have been given by nature for this visit to planet Earth and experience our maximum development. We can again make use of the natural and universal laws when we reconnect with ourselves. When we live in harmony with nature, in harmony with ourselves and our fellow human beings, we once again have access to our elemental forces and sources. We are mosaic stones of a microcosm. If we submit to our destiny, a wonderful harmonious picture emerges again from the chaos, as nature exemplifies for us with every breath. In each of us, there is an artist, there is creativity. If we live our lives consciously and with confidence, this gift will be released. Like a butterfly leaving the CoCoN! With CoCoN, new living spaces are allowed to emerge in which the individual, the sense of community, as well as nature, are allowed to heal again. The more spaces are created, the healthier our planet becomes. My project CoCoN (Co-evolution and CoN-struction) wants to re-establish the sensitization of the human being with regard to a mindful way of life. The realization of holistic centers which are built from sustainable materials such as straw, hemp, and clay, the following of local construction typologies, the cultivation of ecological gardens and natural ponds, the possible participation of guests in interactive construction sites, but also the offer of various holistic disciplines reconnect the soul with the origin, the earth.

LC – How is being an artist nowadays?
EMA – As an architect, artist, and holistic trainer, I carry the belief that we should always have the big picture and our future in mind in order to find new ways to contribute positively to the development of the global model of society. Artists are visionaries. Today I am also an architect, but I had dreamed of becoming an artist from a very young age. In fact, I had been painting with great passion and everywhere since I was a toddler. Art feeds my soul and connects me with my soul. Throughout history, artists and architects have been visionaries and have influenced the development of the model of society. Today more than ever, our world needs artists and visionaries who constantly give us impulses to think and point out the beauty in life. The diversity of possibilities, the diversity of creativity, and the art of life. Without art, there is no life.

LC – Did your style change over the years? In which way?
EMA – As far as my activity as an artist is regarded, I have evolved, as probably all people do, according to the different stages of life. Over time, my perception of the figurative object has changed to the point of dissolving the obvious. Today I like to dive into the depths of abstract or spiritual meaning. While studying art history and archaeology, I discovered my love for photography. Here, however, I like to be guided by the expressiveness of the detail. Having been a big fan of Japanese minimalism during my architecture studies, my architecture is also characterized by attention to detail as a feature of minimalist construction. What has actually changed is my progression from the strict representation of the energy-saving building mode that is prevalent today to a more profound interpretation of living spaces. A stay in Southeast Asia in 2015 and my education as a holistic trainer helped me to gain a new perspective on habitats, so the meaning of ‘holistic’ has penetrated all areas of my life and filled me with new knowledge about the relationship between human – soul – nature and the many forms of ‘habitat’. The awareness that there is energy in all matter, which resonates with our behavior and health, has led me to a new way of looking at architecture. So today I am passionate about realizing living spaces that allow people to be in harmonic vibration with themselves and their environment by reinterpreting the quality of the space they are in from a physical and energetic point of view. I love connecting people and taking them to a new dimension in their sense of the quality of life and architecture.

LC – How do you feel when you see your work completed?
EMA – I am always critical at first, but then completely satisfied. However, my current project is so important for me and for humanity that I am particularly engaged here and I am proud to be able to contribute to a change in current world events and the needs of society by giving people an impulse to think about how they can be in harmony with themselves in this time. The CoCoN project is allowed to emerge worldwide, to unite cultures, but above all to raise our awareness of the urgently needed harmony with Mother Earth, our planet. CoCoN distinguishes itself in the emergence of communities that actively support this unique form of holistic centers as lighthouses for a mindful and sustainable way of life by means of workshops to get to know naturally available materials such as clay, straw, hemp, bamboo or rice.

LC – What do you think about ITSLIQUID Platform?
EMA – I discovered ITSLIQUID by chance and was already excited by the connection with Venice. In the meantime, I have come to know this platform in its entirety and must admit that it is a great initiative that gives artists the opportunity to bring their message and their talent to the world. Artists often don’t have an easy path to go out of their local environment and into visibility. Through the perfect organization and the special choice of cultural cities, it offers artists a wonderful chance to break the chains and step on stage with great motivation.