Caring for social justice in a former domestic-industrial setting turned house-museum

Inês Azevedo
CITCEM, Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto.
Casa da Imagem – Fundação Manuel Leão.

Joana Mateus
Casa da Imagem – Fundação Manuel Leão.

Abstract
This paper reflects on the power that small-scale museums have acting in the social context as places of care, working on issues of justice through proximity and collaboration. The Museu Casa da Imagem (MCI) is presented as a case study. The recent rehabilitation of its architectural space maintained the coexistence of the industrial space – the workplace of “Rocha Artes Gráficas”, a recognized printing industry – with the old residential house – a less visible setting of domestic, female and anonymous work. The future exhibition design of the museological transformation of this site aims to evidence the gender conflict inherent to this place’s work. Thus, it highlights the need for the MCI to take care of the representation and recognition of the different works of the former occupants of this house-industry.

Keywords: Museum, social justice, care, gender issue

Inês Azevedo. Graduated in Sculpture at the Faculdade de Belas Artes da Universidade do Porto (FBAUP). Has master’s degrees in Contemporary Art Practices, FBAUP, and in Visual Arts Teaching, Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação da UP. Currently is a PhD student at Estudos do Património – Museologia (Faculdade de Letras da UP). Is a researcher at CEAA-ESAP and CITCEM-FLUP. Works at Fundação Manuel Leão, co-coordinating Casa da Imagem (with Joana Mateus), where she proposes practices and reflections that articulate mediation, education and art, seeking the construction of a democratic, participatory and fair society, capable of imagining and recreating itself. Through Casa da Imagem has been carrying out numerous projects, highlighting the Casa das Imagens Museum, under permanent development, and the “PressHere – a living archive on industry in Europe”.

Joana Mateus. Graduated in Painting at the Faculdade de Belas Artes da Universidade do Porto (FBAUP). Has master’s degrees in Multimedia Art, FBAUP, and in Visual Arts Teaching, Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação da UP. Is a researcher at CEAA-ESAP. Works at Fundação Manuel Leão, co-coordinating Casa da Imagem (with Inês Azevedo), where she proposes practices and reflections that articulate mediation, education and art, seeking the construction of a democratic, participatory and fair society, capable of imagining and recreating itself. Through Casa da Imagem has been carrying out numerous projects, highlighting the Casa das Imagens Museum, under permanent development, and the “PressHere – a living archive on industry in Europe”.