The project ‘Paraíso. Hoje’ has been officially designated to represent Portugal at the Venice Biennale. Installed at the Fondaco Marcello building, a pre-inaugural press visit will occur today at 9:30 AM (10:30 AM in Lisbon). According to the program, the event will feature two public discussions and panel talks.
On Friday at 9:30 AM (10:30 AM in Lisbon), a conference focusing on ‘Challenges and dilemmas of national representations in Venice’ is scheduled. The discussion, conducted in Portuguese and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, will include Ana Jara, Ana Vaz Milheiro, Diogo Passarinho, Luís Santiago Baptista, and Paula Melâneo, with Joaquim Moreno moderating.
On Saturday, coinciding with the public opening of the Venice Architecture Biennale and the prize announcements, there will be a debate in English titled ‘Paradise, today?’ at 9:30 AM. Participants will include Catarina Raposo, Giovanna Borasi, Manon Mollard, and Nuno da Luz, with Julia Albani as the moderator.
‘Paraíso. Hoje’ featuring an Atlas of 700 images and a digital installation responding to visitor movements, is crafted by architects Paula Melâneo, Pedro Bandeira, and Luca Martinucci, with adjunct curators Catarina Raposo and Nuno Cera. It will remain on display at the biennale until November 23 under the overarching theme ‘Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.’
Earlier this year in April, at a project content presentation at Palácio Nacional da Ajuda in Lisbon, curator Pedro Bandeira emphasized the unique visitor experience anticipated at the biennale. The architecture showcase revolves around curator-general Carlo Ratti’s theme, focusing on climate change and its societal impacts, urging a shift from climate mitigation to adaptation, employing multidisciplinary and inclusive solutions.
In response, the curators designed ‘Paraíso. Hoje’ to highlight the regenerative potential of nature and collective intelligence in crafting positive solutions. The Portuguese representation will unfold along two central axes: the Atlas of analog images, intended to be transformed into a book, and a digital installation that utilizes images functioning as a “mirror game,” interacting responsively with visitor movements, creating a dynamic vision of Paradise.
Further describing the project, the curators noted its inspiration from constantly evolving Portuguese landscapes of sea, field, and forest, set against a backdrop of urban disarray and the country’s neglected interiors. The project serves as a crucial metaphor, critically analyzing contemporary Portuguese territory and architecture.
In the presentation, Paula Melâneo stated the potential for harmonious architectural contributions to the landscape, envisioning them as gateways to Paradise. Architect Pedro Bandeira observed the discipline reflecting its contradictions, particularly regarding pollution from extractive industries, material production, and construction.
Amid ongoing wars, climate change, and societal issues like housing, the curators aim to exalt existing positive elements while committing to building an improved world. Addressing the discipline, they ask, “If nature is Paradise, what purpose does architecture serve?”
The project creation process involved a national call for submissions on the theme, yielding over 100 contributions, with 36 selected for publication. About 30 photographers contributed images, some by invitation, including curatorial adjunct Nuno Cera, along with Paulo Catrica, Francisco Ascensão, Tiago Casanova, and Duarte Belo, who has chronicled the Portuguese landscape over the past 40 years.
Globally, the architecture event will feature over 750 participants and 280 projects, showcasing multigenerational and interdisciplinary collaboration. Among these is Brazil’s “Terra Preta,” with contributors Nixiwaka Yawanawa, André Corrêa do Lago, Marcelo Rosenbaum, Fernando Serapião, and Guilherme Wisnik, focusing on indigenous collaboration and scientific research in devising sustainable Amazonian housing solutions.
The Bienal College Architettura 2024-2025 program, outside the competition and aimed at emerging scholars and creators under 30, selected eight projects, including one led by Portugal’s Rita Espinha Abreu Morais. Each project received a grant of 20,000 euros to complete their final work.
Following its presentation in Venice, “Paraíso. Hoje” is expected to be displayed in Portugal, notably in Lisbon at the Garagem Sul of the Centro Cultural de Belém and in Matosinhos at the Casa da Arquitetura, with precise dates to be announced by organizers.
