Over the past fifteen years Raúl Cárdenas Osuna has been working in contextual analysis, basing the studies in the realm of life styles to better grasp the idea of quality of life, hopefully for the betterment, starting with his own and the people that participate with him, because for the most part of the projects he developed, they end up being a collaborative effort, and call TOROLAB. TOROLAB i
s a contextual analysis workshop, in which certain methodologies have been developed to better understand related lines of urban, social/cultural and economical layers in particular environments that reevaluate lifestyles, in ways they can participate to form strategic responses to those conditions. The themes he had developed until now range from research on the identity of the border region, to housing and security to community building, survival, nourishment and food —the areas of concern are as broad and varied as the lifestyles and environs they’re studying. The traces he leave behind with these investigations go from such things as Urban Interventions, Media Projects, Construction Systems, Survival Units to everyday things like furniture and clothing.
