Fertile Futures:
Itinerant Laboratory

5 October 2024 — 2 March 2025
Arquipélago
Contemporary Arts Center
Ribeira Grande, Azores

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 the entire laboratory of the project developed over a year. It first presents the seven cases on display in Venice, 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 Mira River; in the Lagoa das Sete Cidades; and in the Madeiran Rivers. Secondly, 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, shows the documentary reflecting the entire Fertile Futures laboratory, produced in collaboration with Canal180.

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.

FERTILE FUTURES: ITINERANT LABORATORY
ITINERANCY CURATOR
Andreia Garcia
ITINERANCY DEPUTY CURATOR
Diogo Aguiar
ORGANISATION
Ministério da Cultura de Portugal
Dalila Rodrigues, Ministra da Cultura / Minister of Culture
COMMISSIONER
Direção-Geral das Artes
Américo Rodrigues, Director-Geral/Director-General
PROJECT WORKSHOPS
Corpo Atelier
Dulcineia Santos Studio
Guida Marques
Ilhéu Atelier
Pedrêz
Ponto Atelier
Space Transcribers
PHOTOGRAPHY INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SEMINAR
Alexandre Delmar & Maria Ruivo
DOCUMENTARY
Canal180, directed by Joaquín Mora

PUBLICATIONS
FERTILE FUTURES — VOLUME 1
Canal180, directed by Andreia Garcia, Ana Neiva, Diogo Aguiar (Editores /Editors); Architectural Affairs (Editora /Publisher); Álvaro Domingues, Ana Salgueiro, Ana Tostões, Aurora Carapinha, Corpo Atelier, Dulcineia Santos Studio, Eglantina Monteiro, Érica Castanheira, Francisco Ferreira, Guida Marques, Ilhéu Atelier, João Mora Porteiro, João Pedro Matos Fernandes, Luca Astorri, Margarida Waco, Marina Otero Verzier, Pedrêz, Pedro Gadanho, Pedro Ignacio Alonso, Ponto Atelier, Space Transcribers (Autores /Authors)
FERTILE FUTURES — VOLUME 2
Canal180, directed by Andreia Garcia, Patrícia Coelho (Editores /Editors); Architectural Affairs (Editora /Publisher); Alice Pisco & Rosa Guedes, Álvaro Domingues, Ameneh Solati, Ana Salgueiro, André Vizinho, Andreia Garcia, Corpo Atelier, Dulcineia Santos Studio, Eglantina Monteiro, Emanuele Coccia, Francisco Costa, Guida Marques, Ifor Duncan, Ilhéu Atelier, Maja Escher, Marta Cabral, Marta Labastida, Martinho Mendes, Nuno Jorge Pereira, Pedrêz, Pedro Gadanho, Ponto Atelier, Space Transcribers, Susana Fontinha (Autores /Authors)
ITINERANT CO-PRODUCTION
Governo Regional dos Açores
Arquipélago—Centro de Artes Contemporâneas
Secção Regional dos Açores da Ordem dos Arquitetos
Architectural Affairs
EDITION AND COMMUNICATION
Patrícia Coelho
VISUAL IDENTITY AND GRAPHIC DESIGN
And Atelier
WEBSITE
Sara Orsi
TRANSLATIONS
Fran Seftel

Arquipélago
Contemporary Arts Centre
DIRECTOR
Ricardo Esperanço
MUSEOLOGY
Diogo Aguiar
João Machado
PRODUCTION
Dalila Couto
Luís Reis
COMMUNICATION
Bárbara Ávila Pacheco
Ricardo Esperanço
AUDIOVISUAL AND MULTIMEDIA
Marco Machado
LIGHT
Luiz Furtado
MUSEOGRAPHY AND EXHIBITION SET-UP
Diogo Daniel
João Marques
João Silva
Raquel Teves
MEDIATION SERVICE
Andreia Oliveira
Beatriz Brum
Sofia Carolina Botelho
LIBRARY AND DOCUMENTATION CENTRE
João Almeida
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
Joana Santos
Ricardo Oliveira
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Débora Raposo
Marco Ventura
SHOP AND BOOKSHOP
Sabrina Vieira
Patrícia Bento
PUBLIC ATTENDANCE
Diogo Torres
Filipe Simas
José Paulo dos Santos
Leontina Rodrigues
Nuno Roque
Pedro Batista
Ricardo Ferreira
SECURITY
SMA – Segurança privada
TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE
FIT - Fabrico de Instalações Técnicas
ISS - Facility Services

Ordem dos Arquitectos
Secção Regional dos Açores
PRESIDENT
Nuno Duarte Costa
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Nuno Costa
Catarina Pinheiro
Miguel Machado
Raquel Teves
Hernâni Ponte
ADVISORY
Tiago Andrade
27 January — 27 April 2024
Lisbon Architecture Triennale
+

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.

 

 

FERTILE FUTURES: ITINERANT LABORATORY
COORDINATION
Andreia Garcia
COORDINATION SUPPORT
Diogo Aguiar
ORGANISATION
Ministério da Cultura de Portugal
Pedro Adão e Silva, Ministro da Cultura/Minister of Culture
COMMISSIONER
Direção-Geral das Artes
Américo Rodrigues, Director-Geral/Director-General
PROJECT WORKSHOPS
Corpo Atelier
Dulcineia Santos Studio
Guida Marques
Ilhéu Atelier
Pedrêz
Ponto Atelier
Space Transcribers
PHOTOGRAPHY INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SEMINAR
Alexandre Delmar & Maria Ruivo
DOCUMENTARY
Canal180, directed by Joaquín Mora

PUBLICATIONS
FERTILE FUTURES — VOLUME 1
Canal180, directed by Andreia Garcia, Ana Neiva, Diogo Aguiar (Editores /Editors); Architectural Affairs (Editora /Publisher); Álvaro Domingues, Ana Salgueiro, Ana Tostões, Aurora Carapinha, Corpo Atelier, Dulcineia Santos Studio, Eglantina Monteiro, Érica Castanheira, Francisco Ferreira, Guida Marques, Ilhéu Atelier, João Mora Porteiro, João Pedro Matos Fernandes, Luca Astorri, Margarida Waco, Marina Otero Verzier, Pedrêz, Pedro Gadanho, Pedro Ignacio Alonso, Ponto Atelier, Space Transcribers (Autores /Authors)
FERTILE FUTURES — VOLUME 2
Canal180, directed by Andreia Garcia, Patrícia Coelho (Editores /Editors); Architectural Affairs (Editora /Publisher); Alice Pisco & Rosa Guedes, Álvaro Domingues, Ameneh Solati, Ana Salgueiro, André Vizinho, Andreia Garcia, Corpo Atelier, Dulcineia Santos Studio, Eglantina Monteiro, Emanuele Coccia, Francisco Costa, Guida Marques, Ifor Duncan, Ilhéu Atelier, Maja Escher, Marta Cabral, Marta Labastida, Martinho Mendes, Nuno Jorge Pereira, Pedrêz, Pedro Gadanho, Ponto Atelier, Space Transcribers, Susana Fontinha (Autores /Authors)
ITINERANT CO-PRODUCTION
Trienal de Arquitectura Lisboa
Architectural Affairs
PRODUCTION AND INSTALLATION
Tiago Pombal (Coord.), Isabel Antunes, Salomé de Moura, Tamyra Kolen Nogueira [Trienal de Arquitectura de Lisboa]; João Morgado, Miguel Monteiro, Mauro Figueiredo, Tiago Mendes [João Morgado, Unipessoal]
COMMUNICATION AND PRESS
Sara Battesti (Coord.), Inês Santos, Miguel Santos, Nádia Sales Grade [Trienal de Arquitectura de Lisboa]
EDUCATIONAL SERVICE
Filipa Tomaz (Coord.), Joana Martins, Daniella Figueiredo, Ester Donninelli, Suzy Ferreira [Trienal de Arquitectura de Lisboa]; Fátima Alves [Locus Acesso]
EDITION AND COMMUNICATION
Patrícia Coelho
VISUAL IDENTITY AND GRAPHIC DESIGN
And Atelier
WEBSITE
Sara Orsi
TRANSLATIONS
Fran Seftel
EXHIBITION ASSISTANTS
Ines Hernandez, Madalena Venâncio, Marco Morais, Raquel Agostinho, Tamyra Kolen Nogueira