Object-Project explores the idea that identification with objects makes identification with the other possible. Focusing on the relationship between Lisbon and the Trafaria waterfront on the opposite bank of the Tagus River, the exhibition identifies various logistic elements that characterize the urban growth of the “other side”, from religious movements to industrial developments. Highlighting in particular the role of labour organizations and community and socio-cultural associations, the exhibition gives visibility to the everyday practices which, throughout the 20th century, turned the economic and institutional deficiencies of the Trafaria area into a possible scenario of survival. The exhibition pursues two lines of inquiry: that of the object which, while it is determined by logistical principles, adapts autonomously to its urban context; and that of collective projects, in the course of which the architectural object participates in processes of political and social transformation.

Object-Project will be held in Trafaria Fort and includes two international seminars:

Objects and Collectives
The Almada waterfront is defined by large logistic structures, from the crane in the Lisnave shipbuilding yard at Margueira, to the lazaret at Porto Brandão and the cereal terminal at Trafaria. What relationships do these urban objects establish with the development of the city? And in what diverse ways do these spaces mark the collective memories and the daily life of the inhabitants of Almada? The “Objects and Collectives” seminar will examine these questions in two distinct debates: the first focusing on “Movements, Associations, Cooperatives and Collectives” that make Almada a unique case nationwide; and the second addressing the ideas of “Form and Object” in the context of diverse social transformation projects.

Contagion
Contagion seeks to interrogate the different ways in which collectives, social movements and popular organizations gain form. Contagion is a term that describes the spread of a disease or influence. The term migrates at the beginning of the 20th century to group psychology, acquiring a negative bias in association with the concepts of mass and crowd. It was used to explain the spread of irrational behavior by influence and suggestion, in contrast with rational behavior predicated on the individual. Contagion takes the opposite view: that collectives, movements and crowds are not irrational, that popular demands are not unsubstantiated. Taking place in Almada – a unique city where the spread of progressive ideals has had a profound impact – the seminar proposes to discuss the role of architecture in processes of social organization. At stake will be three key questions: what is the role of collective equipment, what is the role of institutions and what is the role of pedagogy. In doing so Contagion will speculate on architecture’s ability to affect the spread of ideas, movements and life projects.