Ana Clara Roberti (Brazil, 1991): researcher in the fields of ethnographic documentary, image design and cultural studies. PhD in Design (2020) from the University of Porto and University of Aveiro (FCT Scholarship Funding), is an Integrated researcher of the Research Institute for Design, Media and Culture (ID+). She has taught at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto and works as a director, mainly of documentaries, besides having played other roles in fiction works. She has films presented and awarded in national and international festivals. Since 2014, she has held photography exhibitions inside and outside the academic environment. She also collaborated, in 2015, with Radio Manobras, in Porto. She was a member of the Tutorial Education Program PET (research and teaching group) at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, and worked in the social project Be the Change, with children and adolescents, in Sicily. She is also one of the coordinators of Citadocs, a collaborative mini-documentary project, born from Future Places Medialab for Citizenship, in 2015.
Helena Santos (Portugal, 1961): PhD in Sociology (University of Porto), lecturer at the Faculty of Economics (FEP), where she coordinates the Autonomous Section of Social Sciences; she member of CITCEM (Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Culture, Space and Memory UP). Main fields of teaching: Social Sciences, Sociology of Culture, Cultural Economics and Management, and Methodologies. Main fields of research: Sociology and Economy of Culture and Arts, with several studies in Cinema, Performing Arts, Museums, Digital Culture, Cultural Policies and Participation.
Daniel Brandão (Moçambique, 1981): PhD in Digital Media, in the specialty of Audiovisual and Interactive Content Creation, from the University of Porto (2014). As part of his doctorate he developed the project Museu do Resgate. He is also one of the coordinators of Citadocs, a collaborative mini-documentary project, born in Future Places Medialab for Citizenship. He has been teaching in public and private Higher Education in the areas of Communication Design, Audiovisual and Multimedia, in the Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave (IPCA), in the Artistic School of Porto (ESAP), in the Arts and Design School of Matosinhos (ESAD) and in the Portuguese Catholic University of Braga (UCP-Braga). He is currently Assistant Professor at the Department of Communication Sciences of the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Minho.He was a member of the Organizing Committee of Plug&Play (Oporto Design Conferences) and is Co-chair of DIGICOM (International Conference on Design and Digital Communication). He is an integrated researcher at the Communication and Society Research Center (CECS) and collaborator in the Research Institute in Design, Media and Culture (ID+). He is also a multidisciplinary designer specialized in Graphic Design, Video and Motion Graphics.
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 non-residents); 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.
References
Gordon, Linda. 2009. Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Hall, Edward T. 1986 [1st ed.1966]. A Dimensão Oculta. Translated by Miguel Serras Pereira. Lisboa: Relógio D”água.
Lefebvre, Henri. 2000 [1st ed.1974]. La production de l”espace. 4 ed. Paris: Éditions Anthropos.
