habitario board game challenges domestic models in mexico through women's narratives

"Habitario by Brenda Isabel Pérez is an art and research project presented in the format of a that examines domestic space in through narrative construction and spatial speculation. The project defines habitarios as both physical and symbolic environments in which everyday life unfolds, social relationships are formed, and collective memory is shaped. Within this framework, domestic space is treated as a site for rethinking existing structures and imagining alternative spatial models."

"The game draws on four short stories written by Mexican women authors, Inés Arredondo, Amparo Dávila, Elena Garro, and Gabriela Damián Miravete, whose writing addresses domestic interiors as spaces shaped by care, control, and gendered expectations. Rather than directly illustrating these narratives, Habitario abstracts their themes into a set of spatial and narrative prompts. Players construct speculative houses using components, figures representing characters, and action cards derived from scenes of domestic life."

"Each participant begins by drawing a character defined through recognizable domestic roles, such as daughter, mother, or guest. These archetypes establish initial relationships to space without requiring prior knowledge of the literary sources. Gameplay unfolds through the gradual placement of components and the interpretation of narrative fragments, resulting in a collectively assembled domestic environment. Sessions conclude either when all cards are drawn or when a spatial configuration is complet"

Habitario examines Mexican domestic space through narrative construction and spatial speculation and defines habitarios as physical and symbolic environments where everyday life unfolds, social relationships form, and collective memory is shaped. Domestic space functions as a site for rethinking existing structures and imagining alternative spatial models. Developed with support from the Jóvenes Creadores grant and as part of U/Topías domésticas, Habitario operates at the intersection of research, narrative, and material assembly and translates literary and social analysis into a participatory spatial system. The game abstracts themes from four short stories to generate spatial and narrative prompts for collective play.

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