A vital element for human and non-human species, freshwater is today simultaneously political and economic, but also metaphorical and emotional. In this sense, there is an urgent need for public discussion on the protection, management and future of this natural resource. These are global issues with dramatic manifestations in different and specific areas of the Portuguese territory.

The exhibition Fertile Futures: Itinerant Laboratory brings together and reveals for the first time, the entire laboratory of the project developed over a year. It first presents the seven cases on display in Venice from May to November 2023, which record, explain and speculate on anthropocentric action upon natural and finite water resources: in the Tâmega Basin; in the International Douro; in the Middle Tejo; in the Alqueva Reservoir; in the Irrigation Perimeter of the Mira River; in the Lagoa das Sete Cidades; and in the Madeiran Rivers. Secondly, it presents the in situ laboratory, the International Summer Seminar, which brought together, in July 2023 in Fundão, more than seventy students from multiple geographies to collaborate with the architecture teams in a practical context, in search of the reasons for architecture’s contribution to the issues under study. It also displays, in book format, the collection of critical essays resulting from contributions at the Assemblies of Thought in Lisbon, Venice, Braga, Faro, and Porto Santo. And, finally, for the first time in Portugal, the documentary Contemporary Dialogues reflecting the entire Fertile Futures laboratory, produced in collaboration with Canal180, is shown.

Focusing on seven hydrogeographies, Fertile Futures, the Official Portuguese Representation at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition — La Biennale di Venezia 2023, commissioned young architects, supported by specialists and advisors from other fields of knowledge to present reflections on possible models for a more sustainable future, in non-hierarchical cooperation among disciplines, generations and species. Fertile Futures thus defends the relevance of the role of architecture in the design of a collaborative, decarbonized and decolonized future, from a heterogeneous perspective, open to experimentation, dialogue, and common reflection.

Guided Tours

A detailed exploration of the seven cores of water territories on the main floor. In Portuguese, for ages 16 and older, 5€ with registration: visitas@trienaldelisboa.com
On Saturdays: February 24, March 23 and April 27 at 12h
More information: https://www.trienaldelisboa.com/programme/events/ff-en