SUSTAIN: artistic project gives visibility to sustainability initiatives through photography
Produced and organized by the Ci.CLO platform, the third edition of “SUSTENTAR” (“SUSTAIN”) invites four artists to bring a photographic look at initiatives that respond to environmental and social challenges in various parts of the country.
Climate change in Alqueva, the guardians of the geopark in Loulé, the urban forest that is beginning to breathe in the centre of Porto and the School of Transitions in Douro are the themes of the third edition of “SUSTENTAR”. The Ci.CLO platform project combines photography with sustainability projects implemented across the country, to contribute to greater awareness of the country’s environmental and social vulnerabilities.
With work already underway in the field, the results of the project will be presented in solo exhibitions at the next edition of the Bienal Fotografia do Porto, which takes place from May 15th to June 29th, 2025. From north to south of the country, four artists accompany different sustainability initiatives to create bridges with the public.
“There are always two axes that support the Biennale and, in the case of “SUSTAIN”: one concerns the procedural part of the residencies, where we place the artist in dialogue with initiatives that respond to sustainability issues; and the other is the programmatic, exhibitions and mediation activities. Because the phase we are in now, this territory and community work, ends up being almost invisible to the public eye.”, shares Virgílio Ferreira, founder and director of the Ci.CLO platform.
One of the ongoing projects focuses on the issue of climate change in the Alqueva region, where the largest artificial lake in Europe is located. Gonçalo C. Silva is in an artistic residency in the village of Luz, from August 26th to September 6th, in dialogue with experts from EDIA – Alqueva Development and Infrastructure Company. The artist delves into themes such as water scarcity and abundance, natural and technological, presenting “a more in-depth look at the social and ecological issues that affect the Alqueva region, reflecting on the present and future of the place”.
In the municipality of Loulé, Joana Dionísio is working at the Algarvensis Geopark, focusing on “social cohesion, the preservation of intangible heritage and cultural diversity” who live there. A work that speculates on the paradigms of this territory, through exploration and reflection on human presence as a driving force for sustainability, focusing on the people who, based on integrated practices in different areas, take care of the Geopark. The artist is in an artistic residency in the territory until September 9th.
In Porto, the old Quinta de Salgueiros is being redeveloped to make way for the Porto BioLab, where the artist Carlos Trancoso has the opportunity to follow the project to create the first forest providing ecological services in the city of Porto. Bringing together experts from Porto City Hall, biologists, architects, landscapers and sociologists, the development of this space aims to generate new learning opportunities and establish a discussion between different teams with different skills. Through photography, Carlos Trancoso develops an artistic creation project that stimulates a dialogue between what is a potential place, and all the actors with potential for transformation.
Still in the north of Portugal, the artist Catarina Braga is in artistic residency in Vila Real, from September 30th to October 4th and from November 2nd to 9th, as part of a co-production between Ci.CLO and Fundação Casa de Mateus. The artist develops a project focused on the context and activities of the School of Transitions, a study device that seeks to reflect on what are the ways of acting about climate, ecological and digital transition processes, but also logical, philosophical, economic, political and social. Microbiology experts, biologists and historians are involved in the research, closely monitored by Catarina Braga, who seeks, through her artistic vision, “to offer a different perspective on what this ecological and technological transition is”.
In addition to providing meetings with the experts involved in each initiative, “SUSTENTAR” organizes workshops on regenerative cultures and individual and collective meetings between artists and curators to support the development of projects.
Ao promover a colaboração e troca de conhecimentos entre artistas e cientistas, agentes sociais e culturais, municípios e empresas, o programa “SUSTENTAR” dá voz à urgência de implementar uma mudança cultural e económica que encare os ecossistemas sociais e ambientais como fundamentais para o desenvolvimento regenerativo das cidades. Reconhecendo que é necessário mudar de rumo, “SUSTENTAR” procura narrativas orientadas pela força ativa da imaginação e iniciativas empoderadoras que facilitem e definam outras formas de viver e interagir com o planeta.
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