Portgual 2026

Title: RedSkyFalls
Commissioner: Américo Rodrigues,Direção-Geral das Artes
Curators: Ana Baliza and Ricardo Nicolau
Exhibitor: Alexandre Estrela

The project explores geophysical ruptures and seismic perception. It features a computer desktop landscape where aluminium plates house luminous organisms called “RÉPLICAS”. These artificial beings are constructed from animal pulses, such as flies and fish larvae. These sentinels react to real-time seismic data from global locations, including San Francisco, Lima, Los Angeles, and Lisbon. The work references the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, connecting histories of instability and reconstruction.

The installation serves as a sensitive organism that responds to tectonic events with vibrations, pauses, and ruptures. It shifts attention from grand narratives to the observation of interdependence and micro-variations. The exhibition includes a programme titled “SURVEY ON AN S WAVE”, organised by Marco Bene. This layer features events and a “Portable Seismic Archive” that introduces additional works into the space. Through this synchronised infrastructure, the project proposes a poetic method of survival through the construction of a synchronized relational infrastructure.