open azulejos
open azulejos is a conservation research map for documenting the ceramic surface of Lisbon as a distributed public archive. The project treats each photographed tile not as an isolated decorative object, but as evidence within a larger urban fabric: a situated fragment, attached to a facade, a street, a neighbourhood, and a changing condition of care.
The map proposes a fine-grained method for recording azulejos through geographic position, square image capture, and a shared grid. This structure makes it possible to compare patterns, damages, repairs, replacements, and disappearances over time. It also creates a common spatial language for contributions made outside institutional survey campaigns, while keeping each image accountable to its place.
As a design research tool, open azulejos asks how civic documentation can support conservation before loss becomes visible only as absence. The interface is intentionally reduced: the map is the working surface, the photograph is the primary unit of evidence, and moderation protects the archive from noise while keeping participation open.
The goal is not to produce a complete inventory at once, but to build an evolving public memory of Lisbon's ceramic landscape. Over time, the archive can support historical analysis, material conservation, pattern study, and local stewardship by making the city readable through its smallest repeatable surfaces.
contributors
loading contributors...