Glory Hole

Competition - Lisbon - 2013

Hole
Glory Hole is a machine for change and exchange.
The slender space generated by the porous envelope is equally divided in two cells by a wall with a hole, that allows for informal and anonymous trading.
While the wall separates, the hole functions as the ultimate device for interaction, bringing individuals closer and engaging them in alternative responses to the present critical situation.

Glory

The shameful precarious situation that people are subjected to led them to sell – or exchange - everything they can for few money or essential goods.
Glory Hole offers the necessary discretion: a dividing wall sections the space, maintaining the anonymity of the interlocutors, otherwise prude to make this exchange in plain view.
Within a context of suffocating taxation, Glory hole is a space where an alternative economy can begin to flourish. Anyone can occupy it and announce their offer: “manicure for 3eur”, “a song in exchange for a drawing”, “a private movie session in exchange for a book”.
The exchange that takes place through the hole is a celebration of the glory of the everyday.

 

Team: João Fagulha, João Prates Ruivo, Raquel Maria Oliveira. Illustrations by Christina Casnellie. Client: Lisbon Architecture Triennale - Crisis Buster.