in the midst of a nationwide housing crisis, hundreds of buildings remain in a state of disrepair, if not ruin. earthquakes, neglect, climate change, foreign buying, airbnb, lack of government assistance, and economic stress have led to residents leaving buildings to abandon. these are not hidden, but rather fully on display in every town. inside, most are left to the elements and wild animals, being reclaimed by nature and graffiti. while cement and bricks continuously block up doorways to prevent homeless people from using them as shelter, complaints of lack of housing rise. it all seems very counterintuitive. allegedly, certain jurisdictions are moving to have municipal governments take over the still-salvageable spaces and convert them into affordable housing for the portuguese people who are suffering in the face of a changing europe. it is left to be seen whether this plan will ever materialise or whether more tempting luxury holiday flats will take their place instead.
in the meantime, we must try to remember these were people’s homes, shelters, hang-outs, places of worship, workplaces, and places where memories were made… and now lost. children were raised within many of these walls, people built friendships, celebrated, argued, loved, and lived. maybe one day, new memories can be made, even if the new builds are minimalist, sterile, and modern in design, like the characterless apartment blocks that permeate so many new urbanization areas now.
now, exploring the liminal sense of the leftovers is all we have.
