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white flag of peniche

​museum design

Introduction

Our proposal for Nossa Senhora da Luz Fortress responds to the larger context of Peniche. Unlike linear journeys to the lighthouse and Peninsula North of the Ruins, Nossa Senhora da Luz asks for a cyclical journey to curate the atmospheres and myriad of experiences the site has to offer.

Designed as a symbol of peace, the ring of white curtains is both monumental and ephemeral; paying tribute to the past while celebrating its redundancy. Delicately hovering above the landscape, this proposal for an outdoor anti-war museum outlines the footprint of the old fortress creating an exterior museum which looks inwards and outwards.
The procession begins with a compressed entry sculpted into the ground, paying homage to the old west entry. Once you pass through the narrow passage below the ring and up the stairs, you are treated to a grande outdoor space defined by a ring of ghostly curtains.

Unlike conventional museums which present presentation boards on walls and maquettes, “The white flag” is a curation of emotions and atmospheres. After a zone (3) which introduces you to the ruins, you are guided through a series of unique moments. Zone 4 expresses the vastness of the sea just before entering zone 5 which directs your attention back to the dramatic cliff. At this moment, you are to pause and contemplate the violence of the sea crashing against the cliff just before you seek refuge back on land. The fourth and last moment is then one of peace and introspection, time to contemplate ourselves, the future and our responsibility to others.

The white flag is thus a museum that surrenders ourselves to the surroundings. It is about losing track of time to experience the site’s breezes and allowing the cliff to guide the rhythm of our heartbeat through past feelings of anxiousness and future feelings of stability.
 

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rendering of approach to museum

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rendering from afar

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