MAAT Museum is one of the major venues hosting several exhibitions of Lisbon Architecture Triennale – Photo by Paulo Coelho, courtesy of EDP Foundation.
Lisbon 2016 – In an exclusive interview with ArchiPanic, Lisbon Architecture Triennale curator André Tavares is positive about the future of the Portuguese capital and talks about the impact of architecture biennials and triennials on cities.
RELATED STORIES: Read more about Lisbon Architecture Triennale 2016.
Above, images of the four main exhibitions: The Form of Form, Building Site, Sines: Sea Logistics and The World in Our Eyes.
The IV Lisbon Architecture Triennale explores how the architectural process change cities. How does this theme relate with Lisbon?
André Tavares: It had to be in Lisbon. To experience the Triennale you have to move through the city and its contradictions. We could have organized a programme to explain how cities should be built or transformed. But the connections are more intimate. They relate to a long-term architectural culture that inhabits Lisbon itself.
A TRIANGULAR HISTORY: the installation by Eduardo Souto de Mouro takes inspiration by iconic architecture from Egyptian and Parisian pyramids to Oscar Niemeyer – @ Palácio Pombal, Rua de O Século 79.
How has Lisbon changed in the recent years and how is it changing now?
Nowadays, the most visible face of the city’s transformation is tourism and foreign investment. But the clash with the city culture is strong. Nevertheless, the previous cycle of transformation was abandonment and decay. But despite all the problems, Lisbon is experiencing optimistic days.
THE CLUB: Bureau A created a unique techno club hosting also exhibitions and parties. Check the schedule of the DJ sessions on the website and join unexpected dance floors in the ruins of the city! Instagram @joana_sduarte.
2016 is an year of -ennials first Venice Architecture Biennale, then Rotterdam, Oslo, Istanbul and now Lisbon. Which is their real impact on cities?
I guess it doesn’t have a direct impact. The impact is rather on people, on the city’s citizens and its cultural environment.
THE WORLD OF CHARLES AND RAY EAMES: Maat Museum hosts a wide perspective of the work and life of the Eames – © Tristan Fewings / Getty images.
How can Lisbon Architecture Triennale impact the city?
The Lisbon Triennale purpose is to foster architectural knowledge, being it a public awareness on architectural subjects as well a serious exchange between specialized audiences. Cities are transformed by its citizens; they build its architecture. Therefore, if we manage to raise the architectural awareness of citizens and architects, the impact can be positive.
LETTERS TO THE MAYOR by Storefront for Art and Architecture: a collection of architects’ letters written to Fernando Medina – @ Galeria dos Paços do Concelho, Praça do Município; phoyo by Raquel Guerreiro.
How can -ennials contribute to expand the field of architecture and also offer the chance to bring awareness to the larger public?
Architecture is knowledge. I hope that sharing knowledge fosters new knowledge. These large scale events imply a tremendous effort to share knowledge and ideas while challenging established positions. They can contribute as long as they don’t reinstate the status quo but bring new arguments for the never-ending discussion about our life.
“The Form of Form” main exhibition in the patio outside MAAT museum is organised in a “contemporary castle” made of different materials and composed of interlinked rooms. Design by Johnston Marklee, Nuno Brandão Costa and Office KGDVS – ©Tiago Casanova.
RELATED STORY: LABOR documentary and film installation gives voice to Portuguese builders, students, engineers and architects who live and work in London.
MATIÉRE SENSIBLE Exhibition / Fernandez & Serres show how site, building components and history are used as matter to form architecture – @ Palácio Pombal, Rua de O Século 79.
OUTRA LISBOA guided tours discuss about the shaping of collective space through walks around diverse urban contexts – © Patrícia Robalo Ribeiro.
CONTINUAL COLLECTIVE CONSTRUCTION video exhibition by Davidson Rafailidis describes how a building’s form is defined, and evolves over time – @ Cinema Ideal, Rua do Loreto 15.