Re-enacting Fisac: Bones and Skins

To mark the 20th anniversary of the death of Spanish architect Miguel Fisac (1913–2006), Newcastle University and Fundación Miguel Fisac have joined forces to present a bilateral international exhibition exploring his work, with presentations in both Spain and the UK.

Drawing on the extensive archive of Fundación Miguel Fisac, the exhibition traces Fisac’s architectural legacy across more than six decades. It focuses particularly on his pioneering experiments with concrete, including his innovative structural applications during the 1960s and his patented vigas hueso (“bone beams”). The exhibition also delves into Fisac’s work from the 1970s onwards, when he explored the material expressivity of concrete and developed patented systems for casting using flexible formwork to create pieles (“skins”). The exhibition includes research from the PhD by creative practice of Dr Iván J. Márquez Muñoz, Senior Lecturer in Architecture at Newcastle University, which examined Fisac’s skins through the process of re-enactment, a methodology originating in performance and theatre, and adapted here as a means of investigating material practice and architectural history.

First presented at the Official College of Architects of Castilla-La Mancha in Ciudad Real, Spain, from June to August 2026, the exhibition will be shown at Newcastle University’s Farrell Centre from September to December 2026, marking the first exhibition in the UK dedicated to the work of Miguel Fisac.

Image courtesy of Fundación Miguel Fisac