An architectural
abecedarium for Almada
Client
Museum of Almada
Role
Art Direction
+ Design
Year
2020
Almada: A Territory in Six Ecologies is an exhibition that proposes a territorial, urban and architectural reading of the Portuguese municipality divided into “ecologies”, based on the definition of the architectural historian Reyner Banham.
Exhibition posters.
Almada: A Territory in Six Ecologies proposes a comprehensive and integrating vision of the territory of the municipality of Almada, taking into account both its historical evolution and its future horizon.
Occupying the entirety of the Museum of Almada, the exhibition, curated by the architects Luís Santiago and Paula Melâneo, integrates a cartographic reading of the municipality, extensive archival material from various public and private institutions, works of art that open reflections on this territory and original artistic and investigative projects made especially for this exhibition.
Working closely with the curators, me and Diogo Azevedo were fully responsible for the art direction, branding and graphical materials for the exhibition and catalogue.
The identity for the exhibition is presented in a geometric font, punctuated by a collection of icons inspired by architectural features and other striking elements from the territory of Almada.
The typographic intervention, not compromising the legibility, surprises and invites the reader to rediscover the drawing features of the municipality’s landmarks inserted in each ecology.
The proposed “ecologies”, inspired by the definition of theorist and historian Reyner Banham, seek to characterize, in an innovative way, the uniqueness of this territory, capturing its multiple social and cultural identities.
The six proposed ecologies: ➊ the consolidated city of Almada, Laranjeiro and Feijó; ➋ the public expansion of the PIA and university campuses in Monte de Caparica; ➌ the fragmented interior of Sobreda, Vila Nova, Charneca da Caparica and Aroeira; ➍ the military and industrial coast of the Tagus riverfront; ➎ the ludic coast of the Atlantic maritime front; ➏ and the infrastructure that crosses and connects the municipality - reveal the specificities of this territory and frame the problems and challenges that arise in the present.
The exhibition
The exhibition presents a total of 131 case studies, bringing together hundreds of documents, 28 models, 9 artistic pieces, excerpts from documentary videos and video clips, a set of infographics and a video made as part of the curatorial project.
Additional, artistic and investigative projects were carried out especially for the exhibition, in particular the photographic series by the artist Paulo Catrica, the textual and visual narratives by the geographer Álvaro Domingues, and the look at the installations of the naval industry by Nuno Cera.
The emblematic red bridge that connects Almada to Lisbon serves as a motif in the entrance of the exhibition.
The book
The public can complement and expand their reading of the exhibition from the catalog book coordinated by the curators and edited by Almada City Council.
Borrowing the curation concept, the book is organized by the six ecologies and spans over 256 pages. Besides featuring additional iconographic material, the catalogue also boasts a collection of essays by a group of collaborators.
Credits
Exhibition
Organization
Museu de Almada – Casa da Cidade
Curatorship and exhibition project
Luís Santiago Baptista
Paula Melâneo
Exhibition production
Andrea Cardoso
Ângela Luzia
Art direction and design
André Cândido
Diogo Azevedo
Book
Edition
Câmara Municipal de Almada
Scientific coordination
Luís Santiago Baptista
Paula Melâneo
Editorial coordination
Andrea Cardoso
Ângela Luzia
Art direction and design
André Cândido
Diogo Azevedo
An architectural
abecedarium for Almada
Client
Museum of Almada
Role
Art Direction
+ Design
Year
2020
Almada: A Territory in Six Ecologies is an exhibition that proposes a territorial, urban and architectural reading of the Portuguese municipality divided into “ecologies”, based on the definition of the architectural historian Reyner Banham.
Exhibition posters.
Almada: A Territory in Six Ecologies proposes a comprehensive and integrating vision of the territory of the municipality of Almada, taking into account both its historical evolution and its future horizon.
Occupying the entirety of the Museum of Almada, the exhibition, curated by the architects Luís Santiago and Paula Melâneo, integrates a cartographic reading of the municipality, extensive archival material from various public and private institutions, works of art that open reflections on this territory and original artistic and investigative projects made especially for this exhibition.
Working closely with the curators, me and Diogo Azevedo were fully responsible for the art direction, branding and graphical materials for the exhibition and catalogue.
The identity for the exhibition is presented in a geometric font, punctuated by a collection of icons inspired by architectural features and other striking elements from the territory of Almada.
The typographic intervention, not compromising the legibility, surprises and invites the reader to rediscover the drawing features of the municipality’s landmarks inserted in each ecology.
The proposed “ecologies”, inspired by the definition of theorist and historian Reyner Banham, seek to characterize, in an innovative way, the uniqueness of this territory, capturing its multiple social and cultural identities.
The six proposed ecologies: ➊ the consolidated city of Almada, Laranjeiro and Feijó; ➋ the public expansion of the PIA and university campuses in Monte de Caparica; ➌ the fragmented interior of Sobreda, Vila Nova, Charneca da Caparica and Aroeira; ➍ the military and industrial coast of the Tagus riverfront; ➎ the ludic coast of the Atlantic maritime front; ➏ and the infrastructure that crosses and connects the municipality - reveal the specificities of this territory and frame the problems and challenges that arise in the present.
The exhibition
The exhibition presents a total of 131 case studies, bringing together hundreds of documents, 28 models, 9 artistic pieces, excerpts from documentary videos and video clips, a set of infographics and a video made as part of the curatorial project.
Additional, artistic and investigative projects were carried out especially for the exhibition, in particular the photographic series by the artist Paulo Catrica, the textual and visual narratives by the geographer Álvaro Domingues, and the look at the installations of the naval industry by Nuno Cera.
The emblematic red bridge that connects Almada to Lisbon serves as a motif in the entrance of the exhibition.
The book
The public can complement and expand their reading of the exhibition from the catalog book coordinated by the curators and edited by Almada City Council.
Borrowing the curation concept, the book is organized by the six ecologies and spans over 256 pages. Besides featuring additional iconographic material, the catalogue also boasts a collection of essays by a group of collaborators.
Credits
Exhibition
Organization
Museu de Almada – Casa da Cidade
Curatorship and exhibition project
Luís Santiago Baptista
Paula Melâneo
Exhibition production
Andrea Cardoso
Ângela Luzia
Art direction and design
André Cândido
Diogo Azevedo
Book
Edition
Câmara Municipal de Almada
Scientific coordination
Luís Santiago Baptista
Paula Melâneo
Editorial coordination
Andrea Cardoso
Ângela Luzia
Art direction and design
André Cândido
Diogo Azevedo