Sobreiro: participation and intervention of local communities in the historical and artistic construction of a stigmatized neighborhood

This paper intends to discuss a collaborative initiative, carried out within the scope of a doctoral scientific research in the field of Arts and Design and an institution that supports socio-economically vulnerable communities. The work took place in the Sobreiro Social Housing, located in the city of Maia, in Portugal, home to more than 600 families. By using methodologies specific to arts and cultural studies, three main outputs were created: a documentary film, a photo exhibition, and a series of community forums that happen throughout 2018. The purpose of this participatory study was to tell the story of the neighborhood with the help of its first residents and to stimulate the young residents (between 13 and 16 years old) reflection on the present and the future of the community. The whole process was conducted through proximity to the local population and the neighborhood Community Center. This article presents and discusses the ethnographic repertoire gathered within this research, which includes oral and visual memory thanks to the direct participation of the residents in the research process, which valued their own perspective, creativity and points of view

Island City

Poster editado num livro sobre o curso Investigação em Design incluído no Programa de Doutoramento em Design da Universidade do Porto e da Universidade de Aveir

Self-initiated practices in the urban community of Balteiro: design challenges in a post-pandemic setting

This research aims to identify, document, interpret and disseminate self-initiated practices in social housing neighborhoods, in the city of Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal. The study aims to assess the consequences that the COVID-19 pandemic had on these practices and how Design can contribute to the resonance of these initiatives in other equivalent social contexts. Two local initiatives were identified: Recreational Association Clube Balteiro Jovem (ARCBJ) and School Workshop of cartoning and sewing (Escola Oficina). Preliminary work has been carried out with the Vila Nova de Gaia City Council and the aforementioned residents' associations ARCBJ and Escola Oficina. Emic data is being collected through methods of direct and indirect observation, including ethnographic interviews, focus groups, and participant observation. This paper presents the ongoing research project and the results of the preliminary work done

Observação documental – O registro imagético e sonoro da vivência nas escadarias do centro do Porto

Este artículo es una reflexión sobre las metodologías documentales del registro visual de lo cotidiano en Escadas das Verdades e Codeçal, en el centro de Porto, un trabajo de cerca de dos años (2103-2015) que tuvo como motivación la permeabilidad entre lo público y lo privado en el modo de vida local y se hizo un documental incluido en el Master en Design de Imagen, Universidad de Porto.This article is a reflection on the documentary methodologies in the experiment carried out by the visual record of the everyday life at the Stairs of Verdade and Codeçal, in downtown Porto, who was motivated by the permeability between the public and the private in the local way of life. From a work of almost two years (2013-2015), it was made a documentary included in the Master in Image Design, Porto University.Cet article est une réflexion sur l’enregistrement visuel de la vie quotidienne des Escaliers de Vérités et Codeçal, dans le centre de Porto, un travail qui s’est étalé sur près de deux ans et qui a pour motivation la perméabilité entre le public et le privé dans le mode de vie local.Este artigo é uma reflexão sobre as metodologias documentais na experiência realizada sobre o registro visual do cotidiano das Escadas das Verdades e do Codeçal, no Centro do Porto, que teve como motivação a permeabilidade entre o público e o privado no modo de vida local. A partir de um trabalho de quase dois anos (2013 a 2015), foi realizado um documentário no âmbito do Mestrado em Design da Imagem na Universidade do Porto

From intimacy to urban landscape: images of the transformations of the Rainha Dona Leonor social housing

The present communication proposes an imagery study on the transformations of the social housing Rainha Dona Leonor, in Porto, rehabilitated between 2017 and 2019. Through an immersive ethnographic work, it was possible to closely follow the radical changes that took place, from the demolition of the five housing blocks to the construction of a single block. In short, our methodology was guided by the following phases: 1) a series of exploratory visits to analyze the spatial morphology, the living conditions, the forms of occupation of shared spaces and the atmosphere of the neighborhood (receptivity, sense of security, accesses, flow of nonresidents); 2) further research into the history, context, and contemporary setting of the site; and 3) the close observation and follow up of two families from old residents. The idea of using photography as a resource for data collection and representation of the situation was due to its ability to convey the impact of the changes on the landscape, on the lives of the residents, and on their narratives before the demolition of their homes and after moving to their new homes. We registered details inside their old homes (their old lives), before being packed up, or discarded in the move to the new apartments. Furthermore, photography was taken as a tangible reminiscence for these people, remnant of their past life

(Re-)Valuing and Co-Creating Cultures of Water: a transdisciplinary methodology for weaving a live tapestry of Blue Heritage

This article develops a transdisciplinary methodology for valuing and cocreating ‘tapestries’ of Blue Heritage. Given impending threats to the environmental sustainability and maintenance of Cultural Heritage surrounding oceans and freshwaters, it is increasingly urgent to develop a methodology that addresses the significance of the past and its rapport with the continuous future creation and valuing of what we here develop as ‘Cultures of Water’. This idea encompasses water-related practices that occur in various ways across diverse groups and arenas. Therefore, the proposed methodology is informed by several disciplines, notably History, Ethnography, Cultural Heritage, Arts, Design, Planning, and Geography. It emphasises the creation of a continuously evolving and changing tapestry of knowledge, jointly threaded by local populations, governmental and non-governmental institutions at various levels, industries, businesses, and academia. The tapestry is woven by connecting diverse disciplinary methodologies along specific threads, three on content and six on methods and related key questions. This article presents the methodology and reflects on its practicability and potential based on autoethnographic reflections, literature reviews, and first findings from implementing parts of the methodology in northern Portugal