Siza on Paper (Exhibition + Talk)
– Editors
On Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 March, Drawing Matter presented an exhibition of drawings by the Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza. The exhibition focused on Siza as a designer of public housing after the Carnation Revolution (1974) and his approaches to drawing. At the centre of the exhibition were three housing projects: Bairro da Bouça, Porto (1972–79 and 2004–2007), a row of houses in the Bairro de São Victor, Porto (1974–76), and Quinta da Malagueira (1977–2000), outside the city of Évora in the south of Portugal. Each project was represented by material selected from Drawing Matter’s collection, including drawings in Siza’s own hand, office drawings, period photographs, and a small number of models.
The exhibition opened with a conversation between architects William Mann (Witherford Watson Mann) and Tom Emerson (6a architects) on Siza’s drawing and design practices, and the social and historical context of the housing projects. During the weekend, Liza Fior (muf architecture/art) and Tony Fretton (with Manuel Montenegro) led walk-arounds of the exhibition.
More information about Drawing Matter’s holdings of Siza’s work can be found in our Collection Guide. Short texts on the projects included in the exhibition can be found here.
Drawing Matter’s public programme offers the public opportunities to experience our drawings collection, which is usually only open to researchers by appointment and for student/practice workshops. Events take the form of talks at the archive, workshops by practitioners and weekend exhibitions.
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