Funchal, paisagem queer: arquitetura e volúpia no parque do pico da cruz

Abstract

The dissertation discusses the extensively urbanized space of Funchal, capital of the Autonomous Region of Madeira. In its current condition the city is hegemonically the product of a capitalist, cis-hetero-patriarchal system, built on the 'ruin' of the colonial past. What are the implications of this series of events? Is there space in the public sphere, physical or virtual, for queer people? If so, where are these spaces and how can we preserve them? Throughout time, queer people have been silenced, minimized, and in the worst of cases assaulted. In Portugal discrimination was accentuated by the 41 uninterrupted years of fascist politics of the Estado Novo and by the normalization of Christianity, a religious system that is intrinsically discriminatory. The physical and virtual space of contemporary queer sexuality gains ground in everyday life in a very discreet manner. In this 'laboratory' we intend to "open" space for the queer landscape, real or imaginary, through the experimentation of a public park design directed to "dissident"01 bodies. The discourse of anthropocentrism is distanced in the refusal of "human exceptionalism"02, considering the plant and the ecosystem, in a project approach to "environmental design"03. As an island rich in natural resources, it is important to interpret them and allow learning to be motivated by them. How can we through architecture extend 'nature' in a continuous gesture of landscape? In what ways and on what scales does the plant kingdom influence the formation of a sense of personal identity and place? In this study, we intend to work specifically on the volcanic cones of western Funchal , geographical landmarks in the territory that remind us of the most recent eruptions that formed the island as we know it. The project focus is on Pico da Cruz at a time when it is still reserved, taking advantage of this opportunity to re-occupy, re-claim or even co-habit an available and privileged urban space.