A human who has consumed a lot of art seeks the need to process and pour it out.
In the best case scenario, the human gives it back in a way that inspires further, creating a circle of inspiration. The daily ‘feeding of art’ at the university, in galleries, museums, on the streets of Porto
has resulted in an overload of art consumed in one body.
The main driving factor behind this research is to explore the city of Porto and the use of the human transformation process by ‘art feeding’ to experiment with the self and public space in a performative way.
Three stories about storytelling, listening and talking
I. A human tells a story in a public space
II. The city introduces itself, the human listens
III. A conversation between a human and a usable space
I. Performing the Shelter
A human tells a story in a public space
‘The world of supermodernity does not exactly match the one in which we believe we live,
for we live in a world that we have not yet learned to look at. We have to relearn to think about space.’
(Augé, Marc 2012: 46 ‘Non-Places’)
Introduction of an additional element (ephemeral visual impact on the space)
Shelter as a place to hide, to be safe, to be at home. A performance in Fontainhas, Porto, showing that a wall alone can provide safety in a physical and psychological sense. A metaphorical persuasion of shelter and the creation of an ephemeral private space in the open. A fictional wall as a place to live, rather than a fence. Action Perfomance, then the wall played an important role. As a protection against falling, due to the several-meter-high valley on the other side. By building a makeshift wall, made of yellow tape, it protected human from falling and gave the security to walk over the railing without feeling more fearful than without it.
II. Entering and exploring the Fonte dos Aliados (Porto 2025)
Performative analysis of a spatial situation
The city introduces itself, the human listens
‘Within the wider questions of what constitutes a city and for whose well-being it is produced, are questions of public space, urban design, and the articulation of the public realm; if art is socially beneficial, it is in the extent to which it addresses the needs of urban dwellers - by liberating their imaginations, contributing to the design of public spaces, and initiating social critism to articular the public realm – that such benefits can be identified.’
(Miles, Malcolm, 1997. Art, Space and the City: Public Art and Urban Futures. Page 189)
Aliados (Porto city center) - is a well-known place, central in the city of Porto, historically and culturally significant. In recent years, the place has witnessed many structural, functional and cultural-economic transformations.
Performative study of the current urban situation - mixing / entering the space, discovering the space in a different way as an active observer. 3 exercises were created to understand a given public space as an active observer of a given spatial situation. The exercises consisted of sharpening the senses by separating them, creating a 30-minute blending into the space by slowly pushing the boundaries of space use.
Absorption of spatial information: Sunday, January 12, 2025 17:17-17:53 (36 minutes)
Due to the timing, it was possible to observe space during the day and a short time at night. Two times of the day were indicated in the analysis, which is a very important factor to have the ability to capture different atmospheres in a short time of study. These exercises were created to understand, to enter the atmosphere of a given space situation. Through intensive observation in a short period of time, doing something unusual, we are given the opportunity to use space to think in a different way. By using the space, it is to be presented from a different perspective, to outline the structures and atmosphere, using the features and characteristics of the place.
Using the body to feel a given current situation, one of the main frequent atmospheres from that place. This can be thought of as an experiment on a given structure, atmosphere and recording the qualities, using paper to record the data at the same time as what is happening. Live analysis in a form that is visible to the public of the place. Transform normal (typical) behavior in the square to awaken a new atmosphere or transform it on a small scale in relation to the entire square - on a large scale. A good start is to blend into the public space in terms of transforming or giving it some element, which should take into account the facts of the current state. Blending into the space for 36 minutes to an intense experience, not disturbing the given situation, not changing it strongly, but slightly abstracting it. Using the elements of the obtained space for familiarization. Observation of current urban processes.
‘’mirroring’’ or mutual impact: man changes the environment and the environment changes man.’’ (Burckhardt, Lucius 2014)
Exercises were used to observe the city to help intensify the experience of space, the EYE & EAR exercise is inspired by one of the famous lead performance artists Marina Abramović, who often uses this method in her performative workshops to give the opportunity to feel and experience in a different way.
1. EYE- using only optical stimuli, moving colors, figures, objects constantly, moving, then recording the data (10 minutes)
2. EAR- using only the ability to listen to the space, focusing on acoustics or other stimuli such as a gust of wind, recognizing the rhythm of the space whether it is constant or changing, then recording the data (10 minutes)
Adli Mazda's book 'Stress and the City', bases its research on the fusion of urbanism and neuroscience, from which emerges neurourbanism. This new science field focuses on how urban space affects human mental health. By focusing on this aspect as well, the intention was also to be aware of the direction in which the sensation or experience of space is read.
The last exercise is inspired by the book Philosophy of Walking by Gros, Frédéric, which describes walking practices, what benefits they bring and the important role walking plays in people's lives. One of the examples was the mentioned German philosopher Friedrich Nitsche, who walked a lot and used these practices to think and philosophize, after long hours of walking he would return home just to put thoughts on paper. In this way, the final exercise regarding space was created, to absorb it, but writing it down at once so that no thought or stimulus regarding space would escape.
1. Walking & Object- feeling the space in a “strongly stimulating” way, walking through the space, recording data at a given moment, creating an abstract control of public space, quickly absorbing the space and focusing on what is happening in the moment - the action of the city (10 minutes)
III. Performative meditative activities
A conversation between a human and a usable space
Circle of Thinking - Shelter for Thoughts
Free movement of mind and body in public space (Matosinhos ’24 -’25)
Understanding private space as public. Using public space as private space.
Reversing the original understanding to find spatial boundaries.
Awaking body and brain to make a combination of walking thinking human
Bibliography
Adamek-Schyma, Bernd (2015). Psychogeographie heute: Kunst, Raum, Revolution?. ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies, 7(3), 407–432.
Adli, Mazda (2017): Stress and the City. Warum Städte uns krank machen. Und warum sie trotzdem gut für uns sind. 1. Auflage., C. Bertelsmann, Munich.
Augé, Marc (2012), Nicht-Orte, Orig.-Ausg., 3. Aufl., Beck, Munich.
Burckhardt, Lucius (2008), Warum ist Landschaft schön? : Die Spaziergangswissenschaft, 2. Aufl., Schmitz MSV, Berlin.
Burckhardt, Lucius (2014), , Fezer, J., Prof. Dr, Künstler, Architekt, Herausgeber, Hochschule für Bildende Künste Hamburg, et al. Wer plant die Planung? : Architektur, Politik und Mensch, 2. Auflage., Martin Schmitz Verlag, Berlin.
Gros, Frédéric (2014). A Philosophy of Walking. London: Verso
Jacobs, Jane (1961), The Death and Life of Great American Cities, 3. print., Random House, New York.
Landry, Charles (2006), The art of city making, Australian Planner, Taylor & Francis Group, Vol. 43 No. 4, pp. 47–47, doi: 10.1080/07293682.2006.9982528.
Landry, Charles and Hughes, G. (2001), The creative city: a toolkit for urban innovators, Space and Polity.
Miles, Malcolm (1997). Art, Space and the City: Public Art and Urban Futures. London: Routledge.
