Visual Spaces of Change: Self-reflection on Architecture and Urban Change Through Photography

Abstract

This paper synthetizes theoretical aspects of photography related to architecture, city and territory, as well as the case studies coming from the research project Visual Spaces of Change, focusing on the use of photography to investigate the dynamics of architecture and urban change. The project proposed to engage researchers and artists from the fields of architecture, art and image in the creation of visual narratives that promote public debates and a new understanding on urban change. The methodological framework adopted an integrative approach regarding Architecture, City and Territory integrating a series of open talks, public presentations and exhibitions of contemporary photography projects related to the subjects of Architecture, City and Territory during the years of 2019 and 2020 on several public spaces of Oporto City. A pedagogical experiment was also taken that builds up on previous research and had as base the several impressions from the students collected through quantitative and qualitative survey. The potential of visual methods for communicating the identity and transformation of architectures and public spaces are made clear through the discussion of photography (including its uses, methods and approaches) as a valuable research tool and technique to disseminate architecture and public space problematics in contemporary cities. The paper presents the results of the qualitative survey made to the audience of four site-specific exhibitions comprehending visual narratives produced in the context of the research project, as well as the survey made to students of Architecture from third year (1ºcycle) in the Faculty of Architecture of University of Porto (FAUP).