Made-In, an international competition of ideas for public artworks, is destined to reconfigure 5 public spaces in the city of Guimarães, Portugal beyond 2012. This competition is aimed towards art and architecture professionals, to present ideas for 5 specific sites, 4 existing Wash Houses and a proposed new one. The proposed ideas should comply with quality, maintenance and accessibility requirements considering public of all ages and the specific use of the proposed sites. Registration is open until July 15. More information on the competition after the break.
The project is divided into two parts – an open competition (for interventions in four of the city’s washhouses) – and a closed tender for a pre-determined list of guest artists and professionals, whose objective is to create a design project for a new public washhouse. The premise underlying the competition is twofold: a social commitment and the need to acquire a sculpture by an artist or architect. The “Made-in” competition is launched at a time in which the landscape in Guimarães is changing and social interaction structures are gaining greater importance.
Repositioning and the tension between old habits and new practices is increasingly penetrating day-to-day life. In this framework, the Portuguese public washhouse constitutes an emblem of tradition and domesticity: it’s a space where the act of washing clothes provided users with a practical facility and also constituted a locus of community life and social interaction.
For more information, please visit their official website here.
