These three collaborative projects share the ability to combine art with fields as diverse as science, gastronomy and design, under the motto of sustainability and the relationship with the local marine environment – the estuary, the river and the ocean.

‘Underwater Ecotones’ is the project chosen for the Art & Science Residency – ‘A Call to the Sea’, which will take place in the municipality of Oeiras. Led by Francisca Rocha Gonçalves (PT), in collaboration with Akira Kira (PT), Johannes Goessling (DE) and Pedro Frade (PT), this project aims to investigate underwater soundscapes, noise, and vibrations in the aquatic world, directly engaging with live species from the Aquário Vasco da Gama’s collection. Additionally, it aims to rethink the museum’s space, envisioning the possibilities and impact of a future museum-aquarium. 

For the Art & Gastronomy Residency – ‘Eating Between Tides’, the jury selected the project ‘Lisbon Spice Rack’. Led by Taiwanese artist Rain Wu in collaboration with Inês Neto dos Santos (PT) and Mariana Sanchez Salvador (PT), this project will investigate wild marine edible plants in the Mar da Palha region. Through a process of cocreation with students from Marvila and CAM restaurant chef, André Magalhães, the artists will create a regenerative menu that will later be tested in Lisbon schools and at CAM’s new restaurant.

Finally, and also in Lisbon, ‘À flor do azulejo, a cor do Tejo’ is the project that will be developed at the Art & Design Residency – ‘Radical Waters-Concrete Matters’. This project conceived by the Fahrenheit 180 collective – by Swiss architect Jeremy Morris and Portuguese-Swiss designer Luca Carlisle, and based in Lisbon – proposes repurposing oyster waste as a new substrate to reimagine the typical Portuguese tile. Using natural bonds derived from local seaweed, it aims to reduce energy consumption in the tile production process and enhance the role of oysters and seaweed in water purification and carbon storage.

The projects were selected by a jury made up of representatives from the ‘Bauhaus of the Seas Sails‘ partner institutions, as well as national and international independent experts in various fields: Alejandro Alonso Díaz (curator and writer, SP), André Magalhães (CAM restaurant chef, AO/PT), Filipa Ramos (curator and writer, PT/UK), Margarida Mendes (researcher and curator, PT), Sarah Lewis-Cappellari (researcher, playwright and teacher, DR/ USA/PT), and Thiago Jesus (researcher and creative producer, BR/UK). The process also included the collaboration of Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary – TBA21, an institution based both in Madrid and Venice dedicated to artistic research related to the oceans.

The three winning projects will be developed over three months, between September and December 2024, in the bio-region of the Tagus river, between Lisbon and Oeiras.