OS CAPELINHOS
Winning project
Art residency and ephemeral art installation in public space, reused materials
Loures, Portugal, september 2023
Play the ground residency, Mais uno mais um
This residency, established within an informal neighborhood, resonates with our practice for several reasons. In an informal neighborhood, the notion of impermanence is experienced on the scale of a piece of the city and a piece of life, where strict necessity justifies construction.
Reusing materials, community participation, and temporary occupation aren’t new environmental architectural practices, but rather swift responses to a need that should be a guaranteed right by the state: the right to decent housing.
Through this lens, what is the role of the architect or artist? Isn’t beauty supposed to be a democratic right akin to the right to dignified housing? Can art be considered necessary in a neighborhood governed by utilitarianism and survival?
We collectively contemplated these themes while creating three sculptures in collaboration with local residents, utilizing available materials.
Inspired by Cape Verdean tales and legends where children take the form of magical beings to protect the inhabitants, the collective drew colors directly from the Cape Verde flag.
Beyond the solutions art can offer in the context of an informal neighborhood, we firmly believe it can create a collective identity, inspire change, promote empathy, and foster dialogue between the public and institutions regarding the dignity of habitation.
