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Vago

Porto, 2018

Studio @ University of Porto

Where do we belong?


Does time help to remember or to forget?


Does time help in perception or indifference?


To relocate, you need to belong somewhere.

"Vague" comes from the concept of terrain vague created by the Catalan architect Ignasi de Solà-Morales. In French, vague can have three meanings: 1) “wave” of water movement; 2) “vacant” of unoccupied, free, empty and also, 3) “vague” of inaccurate, undetermined. These three meanings reveal abandonment and uncertainty, but also the expectations and potential for transformation and movement of the unoccupied lots. This project proposes a new look at the empty lots along Avenida da República, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal. These recurring lots appear between buildings, on the corners and near other empty lots. They are the result of processes. of (dis)occupation and (dis)construction of along the avenue. Considering what anthropologist Mary Douglas states that “dirt is just matter out of place”, I proposed to give a ‘reclaim voice’ to ten vacant lots found along Avenida da República. This claim is made of the displacement of objects and materials (the matter) found in these lots, arranged inside a gabion metal cage - assigning a plce to the matter, so it is not “out of place” anymore. These cages would be tagged with the address of its respective empty lot and placed in the public spaces along the avenue in an attempt to be perceived, recognized and observed.

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