MAAT presents artistic projects created in Lisbon neighborhoods

The Bairros event, an initiative by Iminente in partnership with the EDP Foundation, is scheduled for September 21 at Praça do Carvão -- MAAT Central, in the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT) complex, and includes exhibitions, music, films, performances and fashion, workshops and gastronomy, according to the organization, in a statement released today.

The Bairros - Iminente Community Artistic Workshops project is the responsibility of the team that organizes the Iminente Festival, whose first edition took place in 2016.

The projects to be presented on September 21st were developed over the last few months with the neighborhood communities of the Lumiar and Vale de Chelas areas, in collaboration with the PER11 Residents' Association, the Quinta Grande Neighborhood Association PER7, Espaço Mundo PER9, Geração com Futuro and the VMBA Residents' Association (Viver Melhor o Beato).

"This initiative marks the culmination of a journey of shared creation and celebration, and opens space for public participation in various open-access activities throughout the afternoon," reads the statement released today.

On that day, starting at 1:00 PM, the gastronomic spaces will be ready to welcome the public. Between 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM, several activities will take place, including tile collage and sustainable fashion workshops, the screening of short films made within the Bairros program, and a debate on "territory and community culture."

In addition to stalls featuring local cuisine, "made and served by the communities," there will be an exhibition of work done over the past few months, as well as a "portable library" and reading benches built in previous editions of the project.

The program also includes moments of "presentation and celebration", such as the Marcha da Curraleira, a "symbolic musical performance led by Tristany, which fuses gypsy tradition, Portuguese folklore and the energy of the youth of Curraleira", a fashion show with pieces created in an 'upcycling' workshop (and recycling of materials) led by the artist Pitanga.

In addition to all this, there will also be musical performances: Bairros Music 2025, "a moment resulting from the music workshop led by Fumaxa, Daus and Pika", and a concert by Deejay Rifox & Tia Vivix, a mother-son duo, residents of the PER9 neighborhood, "who have performed in various locations in Portugal, Spain and Cape Verde".

The Iminente Festival, which combines music and visual arts, first took place in Oeiras in 2016, returning to the same city the following year. After two editions in Oeiras, in 2018, Iminente moved to Lisbon, to the Panorâmico de Monsanto, where it returned in 2019.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the festival into Oficina Iminente, an artistic residency held at Panorâmico de Monsanto, with the public taking part in the creative process.

In 2021 and 2022, the festival returned to its original format, held in an open-air space in the Matinha area. In 2023, it hosted a re-opening of Terreiro do Paço, and last year, the gardens of Palácio Pimenta - Museu de Lisboa, both with free admission.

There won't be a festival this year, but Iminente has already announced its return in 2026 on social media. The next edition will celebrate its 10th anniversary.

Read Also: AIMA's External Workers Denounce Precariousness: "Disposable"