Museological Center of the old “Tipografia União”
Responsible researcher: Prof. Alexandra Rodrigues Gonçalves
Coordinator researcher: Prof. Maria Caeiro M. Guerreiro
Resume
A study for the creation of the “Núcleo Museológico da Tipografia União”, according to contract 35/2021, was signed between the University of Algarve and the Municipality of Faro. Carrying out an interdisciplinary and inter-institutional project of scientific research, technological development and cultural action, to be developed based on the heritage of the extinct Typography Union (1909- 2013), in harmony with the thematic objective of the ERIIEIA, within the objectives 4/10/11/16 and 17 of the UN SD 2030 Agenda, the objectives of the QCE Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society and the CPPMCN of UNESCO.
– Receiving Entity: The owner and promoter of the territory is the Diocese of the Algarve, with the Municipality of Faro and the University of the Algarve as basic partners
– Participating Entities: University of Algarve; Municipality of Faro; Diocese of the Algarve
– Duration of the project: About 2 years
– Project start date: December 2019/26 May 2021
– End date of the project: June 2022
(Ref. n.º 35/2021)
…………………….
Scientific relevance of the project and scientific consistency for the discipline (Architecture, Urbanism, Design and/or Ergonomics)
The “Núcleo Museológico da Tipografia União”, was born out of the need to make a museum out of the “Tipografia União” (1909-2012), located in the city of Faro, due to the importance of the assets of the former printing press facilities, in historical and identity terms, for the city of Faro and the Algarve. According to the initial study Typographic activity in the Algarve, carried out by the researcher Palma (2008), the “Tipografia União” space is a case of preserving industrial, documentary and intangible heritage, thus conserving the oldest press in the region (1868).
The proposed musealization of the old “Tipografia União” provides the creation of a space with a huge heritage and cultural value, full of industrial and documental testimonies, from which it is possible to preserve and pass on knowledge to future generations. From a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary team (Design, Architecture, Heritage, Marketing, Tourism, Museology, Literature and Modern Studies, others), a report was made, and a proposal for a new cultural infrastructure in the city of Faro.
The owner and promoter of the premises is the Diocese of Algarve, with the Municipality of Faro and the University of Algarve as partners. The entities participating in the project were: the University of Algarve; Municipality of Faro; Diocese of the Algarve.
Accuracy and structure of the Project’s objectives and purposes
With the musealization project of the “Tipografia União”, it is intended to:
– Create a cultural infrastructure in the city of Faro;
– Make an inventory and document the graphic heritage, production, archival heritage, and intangible heritage of “Tipografia União”;
– Musealize the collection of “Tipografia União”;
– Develop an activity plan that allows the fulfillement of the mission and achieve its vision.
Methods and methodology employed
The work methodology used was developed over two years (2021 and 2022), based on a dynamic framework of action research and project methodology guided by a systemic perspective. Instruments and/or techniques were used, such as specialist knowledge, data collection (documentary, inventories of industrial, documentary and immaterial collections, identification of public and surveys), data processing and analysis (transcriptions, creation of a database, identity of the project…) presentation of information.
Quality of work developed
The work developed by Designer Maria Caeiro consisted of musealizing the space and creating a new identity. Both proposals were made with inputs from the interdisciplinary team. The musealization was carried out with the researcher Patrícia Palma and the new identity with the student and designer Gonçalo Cevadinha.
The musealization of the space – “Oficina Tipografia União”, consisted of the reorganization of all the spaces in the building (images n.º 1 and n.º 2), in which the “Tipografia União” exists, as well as the other spaces that complement the facilities, always seeking to maintain and take advantage of characteristic elements of the building, adapting them to new regulatory requirements and thermal and acoustic comfort.
On the ground floor, areas for general public access were proposed, such as the museum reception, the cloakroom, a shop, toilets and a more playful area in which it is possible to create an interactive space. In the other part of the building, although still on the ground floor, we propose the creation of a new area with laboratories, workshops and other types of rooms with different functions, so that all types of publics, such as students and researchers and others, can enjoy.
On the first floor (image n.º 3), on the left side of the access stairs, we propose the creation of the area for the different museological services, such as: documentation centre, conference room, administration, among others. On the right side we have the space dedicated to the permanent exhibition of the museum, with rooms with specific themes, from a certain time period, using various types of media, and information displayed in different digital and physical formats. The current presses spaces will be moved into rooms with specific areas so that it is possible to better identify the entire process, from creation to the production and finishing, thus ending the story that we intend to tell today. For each of these rooms and areas, proposals were created for auxiliary resources of the museographic language.
For the creation of the name of the new cultural space, within the scope of the Musealization Project of “Tipografia União”, the mission of the space was taken as a starting point, in addition to what was intended to be achieved, the vision, and some of the objectives. Names such as:
_Museological Nucleus of the Press in the South
_Museological Nucleus Typography Union
_ Museum Center for printing techniques and technologies
_Museological Nucleus of the Press
After some study and research, in order to obtain a name that was short, simple and broad, remembering that the name is the most used identity sign in all means of communication, and it is the element that remains for the longest time, so that the brand evokes the intended values, personality and positioning, other names were thus created:
_Algarve Museum Center | from Faro | southern
_South Press
Among the various denominations, the Design area working group identified a name, which after having been minimally worked on at a graphic level, was presented and accepted by the entire team, however, is waiting for it to be approved by the entities involved in the project. (references and studies)
Impact of results: focuses on society, academia, national and international context
Although we are still waiting for responses from the entities involved in the project, the Municipality of Faro and the Diocese of the Algarve, in the presentation of the project, held at different times, both entities praised the quality and dimension of the proposal, for the timeframe it had to be executed.
The presented proposal encompasses a diversity of responses that were taken into account, based on the needs of creating a museum. The typographic workshop space was transformed into a new space, with a new mission and objectives. From just one room, a workshop, we now have several rooms, a building, a museum, a new space for knowledge, promotion of written culture and access to information. This musealization project intends to assume a new cultural infrastructure in the city of Faro, actively contributing to the affirmation of the knowledge society.