Doors
Doors – scarcely more noticeable than the air we breathe. At best, we perceive doors as no more than just a slight hindrance to the rhythm of our daily lives as we pass through them, pausing ever so slightly to open or close one.
But if you think a little more about it, you realize that a door represents more than just a barrier between two spaces. Passing through a door puts us in a state of transition from what was to what is yet to come. When we walk through a door, it is frequently to gain access to some place or something on the other side serving a function other than the one we previously were engaged in. Thus, it signifies a transition point from one role or task to another - a distinction between completing one job and starting a new one.
Moreover, a door, specifically a front door, is frequently also the first point of contact we have with the place and people behind it. As such, not only is it a barrier to granting or denying entry, but it is also a statement about the place and the people living within. Look at a church's doors with large ornate openings meant to awe and inspire. They make a clear statement and set the expectations of things to come. On a smaller scale, front doors to most homes are also usually more decorative than all other doors in the house - they are meant to say something about the place and the people behind it. We don't think about it, but a front door makes an ambiguous statement – welcoming but at the same time barring most people from entry.
In this digital typology of doors from Portugal and Spain, I am exploring doors from older homes as a way to think about the people who live behind them and the generations before them that have crossed their thresholds. And although many of these doors are still in use today, passing through them will never be possible for most of us, and we are left to imagine what takes place behind them.
Read MoreBut if you think a little more about it, you realize that a door represents more than just a barrier between two spaces. Passing through a door puts us in a state of transition from what was to what is yet to come. When we walk through a door, it is frequently to gain access to some place or something on the other side serving a function other than the one we previously were engaged in. Thus, it signifies a transition point from one role or task to another - a distinction between completing one job and starting a new one.
Moreover, a door, specifically a front door, is frequently also the first point of contact we have with the place and people behind it. As such, not only is it a barrier to granting or denying entry, but it is also a statement about the place and the people living within. Look at a church's doors with large ornate openings meant to awe and inspire. They make a clear statement and set the expectations of things to come. On a smaller scale, front doors to most homes are also usually more decorative than all other doors in the house - they are meant to say something about the place and the people behind it. We don't think about it, but a front door makes an ambiguous statement – welcoming but at the same time barring most people from entry.
In this digital typology of doors from Portugal and Spain, I am exploring doors from older homes as a way to think about the people who live behind them and the generations before them that have crossed their thresholds. And although many of these doors are still in use today, passing through them will never be possible for most of us, and we are left to imagine what takes place behind them.
