Fertile Futures: Itinerant Laboratory

Fertile Futures: Itinerant Laboratory is a year-long collaborative laboratory of the Official Portuguese Representation at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition—the Venice Biennale. Now beginning an itinerancy at the Lisbon Architecture Triennale Cultural Centre to unveil the entire scope of its ongoing debate on freshwater scarcity and sustainability, the expanded exhibition dives into the brave and contrasting perspectives from local governance, practitioners, experts, activists, and students to transcend global issues already visible.

Seven thought-provoking proposals developed by deeply-rooted intergenerational teams range from speculative devices to subversive open-source systems or artistic manifestos for communal action. The diverse selection of case studies focuses on anthropocentric action upon finite water resources such as the desertification and loss of ancestral techniques; the booming agrobusiness soil exploitation; the mining industry’s impact; a vast electroproduction system; extractive greenhouse agriculture; the eutrophication of an insular lagoon; and the traumatic impact of flash floods on unplanned sprawl.

This laboratory’s open-ended process underscores architecture as a practice inspiring care for our world, common landscapes and shared biodiversity. The catalogue’s second volume further amplifies the discussion through an anthology of critical essays, while the documentary Contemporary Dialogue offers a transversal perspective for a decarbonised and decolonised future. 

Curated by Andreia Garcia and deputy curators Ana Neiva and Diogo Aguiar, Fertile Futures was commissioned by Direção Geral das Artes to represent Portugal at the Biennale Architettura 2023. We welcome all to Lisbon and offer guided tours for international groups with booking at: visits@trienaldelisboa.com.

Hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays, 12am–6:30pm.