Docomomo International is pleased to share that the Exhibition “School of the Village ― Building a common space” [“Escola da Vila ― Construção de um espaço comum”], an exhibition curated by Madalena Vidigal and Diogo Amaro in Escola Primária do Porto Santo, Madeira, is now open from 25th June to 30th October, 2021.
For several decades, the old Escola Primária da Vila do Porto Santo, also known by the population as Escola da Vila, served its purpose as an educational establishment until the school community left. The school is part of the memory and identity of all generations of inhabitants of the Vila and was exemplary in the relationship between architectural space and childhood as a place where its present the encounter with the most noble of activities, learning. After the abandonment of the school (in 2018), the Porto Santo City Council established a protocol with PORTA33 (in 2019) with the aim of transforming the Old School space into a place of residences and artistic activities, in communion and association with the local community.
The “Escola da Vila” is now the object of analysis and reflection in this exhibition, which aims to mark the reopening and reactivation of its building, with a new purpose — a new Cultural and Artist Residencies Space — promoted by PORTA33, which now starts a process of returning the School to its community.
Professor Ana Tostões, chair of Docomomo International, was present at the opening of the exhibition.
To learn more, please go to PORTA33 website.