Curadoria de Arquitetura como Ativismo: Plataforma, Atmosfera, e Laboratório

Abstract

Curatorial practice has shown a remarkable ambition to instigate and participate in the expansion of the architectural field beyond its conventional limits, while also facilitating new relationships with other disciplinary fields. The dissertation therefore brings together the fields of Architecture, Art, Curating and Sociology, with the intention of proving the potential of architectural curation as a transformative instrument. From three main moments: the formulation of a theoretical framework based on activism, exploring parameters such as orientation, focus, approach, method of action, æffect, and the principles of artistic activism; revisiting its presence in the production of art, later integrated into the curatorial approach of art exhibitions, and informing the same integration in architectural curation; as a third step, it is proposed the design of Transformation Models in the architectural exhibition: Platform Exhibition, Atmosphere Exhibition, and Laboratory Exhibition. This framework, tested on the basis of a number of relevant paradigmatic cases in the architectural exhibition panorama, is particularly applied to the curatorial work of architect Manuel Graça Dias, with a focus on Cinco Áfricas/Cinco Escolas - a national example of the activist and transformative potential of architectural curatorship.