Ocupação (Occupation) was a collaborative art installation developed by a group of students from the Master’s in Art and Design for the Public Space at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto (FBAUP). The project consisted of the ephemeral occupation of "A Cozinha", one of FBAUP’s gallery spaces, where we established an interactive game-lab with the visitors.
The installation utilized a collection of heterogeneous "junk"—random, disconnected materials—that served as game pieces. These pieces were placed upon "boards"—random marks and patterns created on the gallery floor. Each participant added a piece to the floor, either establishing a correlation with the previous move to extend a visual "line" or strategically blocking it to force new connections and narratives.
This project had no predetermined endgame. Instead, it highlighted the power of non-verbal communication between participants. Players negotiated space and intent solely through their physical movements and the placement of objects. Over a five-day period, more than 15 unique matches were played, each leaving a temporary topographic map of the social interaction that took place. Ocupação thus explored the concept of the gallery as a space for collective play and emergent meaning.
TECHNICAL SHEET
Project: Ocupação (Occupation)
Location: A Cozinha Gallery – FBAUP, Porto, Portugal
Collaborators: Collective of students from the Master in Art and Design for the Public Space
Role: Co-creator, Facilitator, and Documentation
Year: 2024
Technical Specifications:
Medium: Site-specific installation and interactive performance.
Materials: Found objects, industrial waste, "junk," and tape/floor markings.
Duration: 5-day durational event.
Focus: Non-verbal communication, game theory in art, and collective authorship.