Can architecture sustain democracy? On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution in April of 1974 that ended the fascist dictatorship, the Casa da Arquitectura opened its collection to Ana Neiva and Jorge Figueira, inviting them to reflect on Portuguese architectural production since then. Taking its title from a famous revolutionary song, “O Que Faz Falta” aims to reflect on how architects responded to “what was needed” and gave form to democratic values. 

The result is a panoramic reading of 49 works and 1 unbuilt project—an attempt at curatorial democracy—with a total of 86 authors from different generations and backgrounds, covering a wide range of programs, from welfare infrastructures to capitalist ventures. Through a diversity of commissions, approaches, and working conditions, the show reveals how the cycles of democracy affected the profession. 

In chronological order “O Que Faz Falta” presents two parallel rows of white tables, repurposed from previous exhibitions. Visitors walk around a central corridor and two smaller ones on either side. The surrounding walls are blank. Five large boxes suspended from the ceiling present a montage of references to events, trivia, and famous personalities. The boxes act as a temporal vortex, linking the works below to the cultural context of 5 historical periods: Revolution (1974-83), Europe (1984-93), Fin de Siècle (1994-2003), Troika (2004-13) and Wi-Fi (2014-23). 

Each work is illustrated with archival sources, from original models to technical drawings, sketches and photographs, which usually delight architects but make it difficult for the general public to understand the projects. To go beyond the planning dimension and see how the buildings perform would have been useful, in order to truly witness how they served democracy and withstood use and the passage of time. Nevertheless, it is an impressive effort to bring together archival material from different institutions and private collections, some of which will be added to the ever-growing archive of the Casa de Arquitectura. The construction and enrichment of this archive is arguably “O Que Faz Falta’s” greatest contribution to democracy.

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