Porto Design Biennale 2021

The program for the Porto Design Biennale 2021 (PDB’2021) — Second Edition is closed. Taking place between June 2nd to July 25th in the cities of Porto and Matosinhos, the event will organize more than 49 activities that aim to stimulate the interest of design in promoting new discourses and practices that can integrate the prospective capacity of the discipline to outline innovative solutions for collective problems. Exhibitions, conferences, workshops, and publications make up the programmatic skeleton proposed by the general curator, Alastair Fuad-Luke, for an edition that is to be held with the participation of all—citizens, visitors, professionals, and lovers of design—generating strategic and effective alliances for building communities of change.

The main program of PDB’21 will have as one of its main axes the exhibition Museu da Matéria Viva, where design is called to look at our sustainable relationship with all living beings. Alongside the exhibition, the Museu da Matéria Viva will convene a series of expeditions and workshops developed by Alexandra Fruhstorfer (Austria), Seçil Uğur Yavuz (Italy/Turkey), Julia Lohmann (Germany), Violaine Buet (France), Alastair Fuad-Luke (United Kingdom/Portugal), and Tiago Patatas (Portugal). Having as points of installation the Palacete Viscondes Balsemão and Praça Carlos Alberto, Radical Care: Architectures of Love and Reciprocity, a proposal guided by Ana Jara (Artéria, Portugal) and Alberto Altes (Spain), will gather stories of practices that contribute to increase the levels of care and love on the planet and about planet, resisting cynicism and toxic irresponsibility. Also to be held presentially, Habitar 424, curated by Assemble Studio (United Kingdom) and El Warcha (Portugal), will start a workshop developed by and for the homeless community in Porto. The project aims to reconceptualize the common understanding of homeless people, while at the same time providing increasing community resources for the future. In the inevitable extension to online, the general program of PDB’21 will launch the exhibition Invisible Lines, curated by CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati in collaboration with the MIT Senseable City Lab, which will present a look at the gentrification process and new ghettoization of the city with big data.

Complementing its installation dimension, Porto Design Biennale will also contemplate two spaces specially dedicated to the debate: a series of podcasts guided by the ideas proposed by the program (Vozes do Atelier, curated by André Cruz) and the cycle Friday Colloquia: Peripheral Perspectives, which proposes a set of colloquia attended by interdisciplinary academics, non-academic thinkers, designers, visual and performative artists, and citizens.

In line with the general curatorial proposal, France, as a guest country, presents a diversified program of radio conversations, exhibitions, installations, and social projects, curated by Caroline Naphegyi and Sam Baron.

The great challenge of the event for this year is to call on society, academia, industry, institutions, and cultural agents for a dynamic reflection on the construction of a “glocalized” future.

Porto Design Biennale 2021 (PBD’21) — Second Edition

What?
The 2021 edition of Porto Design Biennale (PDB’2021)
Exhibitions, conferences, workshops, and printed matters
Organisation:  esad—idea, Investigação em Design e Arte
Curators: Alastair Fuad-Luke (Chief-curator), Alberto Altés,  Ana Jara, Carlo Ratti , Caroline Naphegyi, Fran Edgerley, Inês Marques, Olivia Page and Sam Baron
Promoters: Câmara Municipal do Porto, Câmara Municipal de Matosinhos
Jury Open Call Graphic Design: Inês Nepomuceno, João Guedes, Lars Harmsen, Maria João Macedo, Raquel Pais, Tereza Ruller, Thomas Spallek

When?
June 2nd to July 25th, 2021

Where?
In the cities of Porto and Matosinhos
Find the map of exhibitions here

The complete program can be consulted here