Two architecture collectives and three architects have been selected to carry out interventions that will, throughout 2025, question the present and future of first-generation shopping centres, starting with the Santa Cruz Shopping Centre in Braga. This initiative is the result of an open call launched by the Shopyard programme, part of the Braga 25 Portuguese Capital of Culture title.
The call invited Braga’s community of artists, architects, and designers to present artistic projects engaging with the specificities of the city’s first-generation shopping centres.
The jury, composed of Guilherme Braga da Cruz, Sofia Botelho, and the duo Space Transcribers (Daniel Duarte Pereira and Fernando P. Ferreira), who curated this Braga 25 programme, reviewed 17 proposals submitted during the call’s open period, from 13 September to 31 October.
The proposal by P22 (Attilio Fiumarella and Marisol Cordeiro) stands out for its critical and performative approach, provocatively exploring the concept of inhabiting a shopping centre, addressing themes such as the housing crisis and the future of these spaces.
The Kindergarten Collective presented a visual installation based on light and movement, involving shopkeepers and the public to create an interactive experience.
The third proposal, by José Gonçalo de Carvalho Araújo, reimagines a sound booth, reversing the concept of a “Photo Booth” to create a space for listening and storytelling.
Finally, Maria João Coelho Petrucci Albuquerque’s proposal envisions the shopping centre as a space for children’s play and exploration, questioning the sense of belonging and community appropriation of these places.
In its final statement, the jury highlighted “the quality and diversity of the selected proposals,” which innovatively explore “the potential of first-generation shopping centres as spaces for artistic creation, critical reflection, and community interaction.”
These five proposals were chosen based on their artistic merit, originality, and alignment with the objectives of the call, contributing to the cultural and social revitalisation of these spaces in Braga.