The Civic Theater Described in 5 Acts

Abstract

The Civic Theater Described in 5 Acts is a speculative research project that tries to investigate the reciprocity of an ubiquitous language in architecture and personal expression as means to creating a meaningful architecture for the public.

The Civic Theater is a project in 5 models, placed sequentially in the 5 rooms of the «Inner Space” exhibition at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Lisbon. These models perform as different characters in play about the city - they uncover different aspects of a whole. They are an intuitive speculation of a civic architecture that is inherently theatrical. I see the theater as an apparatus for creating a fictional event that dissolves the strict boundary between the real and imaginary. The theater is a place for gathering, staging and performance, a place for collective shared memory. As such, civic programs like the courtroom, the city hall, the parliament, the square, are theatrical places.

Keywords: Civic, Theatricality, Model