WINDOW (JANELA) is the next publication in a series of collective visual essays, INTERMÉDIOS, with no pre-defined order, dedicated to the theme of re-use of salvaged building components.
On the façades of buildings, new windows—familiar, ubiquitous elements repeated from one structure to the next—bear witness to the rapid transformation of the built landscape. The search begins with the traces of the windows that once occupied these walls, and with them, their colours, materials, textures and stories, which might otherwise be forgotten. More than simply glazed frames, windows are complex systems made up of multiple interdependent components. Installed within openings in the walls of buildings, they consist of frames (fixed or operable), glazing (opaque, transparent, coloured or textured), surrounds (exposed or concealed), shutters, blinds, louvres, security grilles, and other elements. Together, these components regulate the passage of light and air, connect spaces (inside and outside, or adjoining rooms), enable forms of communication (such as ´namoradeiras` - conversation windows), or simply provide a view to the other side.
Through observation, contextual research, reading, fieldwork, documentation, archiving, experimentation and critical reflection, this publication explores the forces that have driven the replacement of each of these interdependent components—functional obsolescence? Performance requirements? Changing aesthetic values?—as well as the destinations of these discarded elements and the new uses they have acquired.