City Cortex looks at the city as a living and dynamic organism, and looks into the challenges of the 21st Century, where issues such as social cohesion, comfort, enjoyment, participation, safety, sustainability and resource management are absolutely essential.
Through the contributions of six internationally recognized architecture and design studios: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Eduardo Souto de Moura, Gabriel Calatrava, LeongLeong, Sagmeister & Walsh and Yves Béhar, City Cortex created and offers eight original projects for public and semi-public spaces. Taking the Belém district, in Lisbon, and Trafaria, in Almada, as the starting point of this research, the invited studios reinvent and test the possibilities of using cork and its transformation industry.
Besides exploring the potential of the material itself, this programme also strives for a playful user experience, transforming the communal urban space into a playground, a space for multidisciplinary and multicultural interactions.
City Cortex is produced by Amorim and has the production support of Artworks. Curated by Guta Moura Guedes and developed by experimentadesign, the results of this programme were presented to the public on 6 June in Belém and Trafaria. A complementary book about the projects will be published and launched in September 2024 in New York.
Open Air Museum - Walk Around
Start in Belém, at Praça do Império, near Centro Cultural de Belém. While traversing the tunnel which crosses the train tracks, look up to the ceiling and observe Sagmeister & Walsh’s first installation (1).
Head towards the river and turn west: in Espelho d’Água you will find one more intervention by the duo (2), in the water.
Nearby is the Museu de Arte Popular*: there you have the third installation by Sagmeister & Walsh (3).
Head back to the tunnel, staying on the Tagus side of the train tracks, towards MAAT’s gardens, where you will find installations by Yves Béhar (4), Leong Leong (5) and, further ahead, the Souto de Moura piece (6).
Continue on the pedestrian bridge over MAAT and turn on the first exit to the left. Going down the small street you will find the garden hosting interventions by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (7).
Take the way to the Museu dos Coches and take the pedestrian bridge back to the Tagus shore. There you will find the ferryboat station with departures to Trafaria and Gabriel Calatrava´s intervention (8).
©RicardoGonçalves
