Tower Studio

Being part of an architectural series by Saunders Architecture on Fogo Island and part of the Fogo Island Arts Corporation the studio’s sculptural silhouette leans both forward and backward as it twists upward. For the average visitor to the island, this strange windowless black tower provokes a quizzical response and the enviable question, ‘What’s that?’.

The Tower Studio’s official opening was one of the most festive and included: a roaring bonfire, flares dramatically shot from its rooftop terrace and the recorded sounds of local whales as a background score. The studio is comprised of three levels with an overall height of thirty-two feet. Its entry area is equipped with a kitchenette, a compost toilet and wood- burning fireplace. Its second level is a studio, day lit by generous skylight. At times, the stark abstract forms of the studios all painted black seem to disappear into the foggy weather, typical on Fogo Island. Inside everything is painted in a shiny white and as one passes up the white ladder through the horizontal opening one will stand on the roof- top deck with the view of the ocean and the rocky wind-swept terrain around you.

All images © Saunders Architecture