The Santos district of Lisbon (Portugal’s capital city) has become a virtual magnet for students, designers, computer graphics artists, architects, and other creative types. Near Lisbon’s dock area on the Tejo River and once regarded as somewhat dangerous, it is quickly growing in popularity and since 2005 has been dubbed the Santos Design District. Nineteenth century warehouses and older apartment blocks (some over 200 years old) rub elbows with industrial workshops and some of Lisbon’s most exclusive hotels and apartments. The district offers a supply of large office spaces at inexpensive rents, as well as an abundance of cultural centers, galleries, design studios, and nightclubs. At night, Lisbon’s young and upwardly mobile elite fill the many restaurants and wine bars.
New complex generates international interest:
In order to promote “the worlds of design and the arts,” Norman Foster (Britain’s most prominent architect) will design a vast commercial complex hosting galleries, studios, cutting edge shops, nightclubs, and restaurants. This announcement has generated international interest in the regeneration of the Santos District and has attracted upwardly mobile aficionados of design and architecture.
Top international design names like Norman Foster, Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, or Richard Rogers are required in order to receive sufficient interest and investment money in today’s world of the celebrity designer. Lisbon’s Basque cousin Bilbao, Spain (which shares a history of seafaring) was rejuvenated by regeneration projects along the Nervión in the 1990’s and has since seen an enormous increase in tourism. Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim certainly added to this pull!
Some Lisbon design highlights:
· Leonel Moura Arte space
Leonel Moura, a renowned conceptual artist, inhabits this work and gallery space. His earlier work was photography based, but in the late 1990’s he switched to artwork involving Artificial Intelligence and Robotic art. He programs his models to design and paint, and then signs and displays the work. In the past this art work has included insect human activity. Moura’s art space can be found at: Rua das Janelas Verdes, 76, Lisbon.
· Left
This ultra trendy Lisbon nightclub, decorated entirely in white, boasts a young, eclectic, hipster crowd. Join them to wind down with a caprinha after a long day of cultural exploration! The Dj roster changes frequently, but you could be treated to a musical experience in the form of Lisbon’s Glitch hop pioneers Mr. Glitz and Mutsihirato. You’ll find Left here: Largo Vitorino Damásio, 3F (a Santos, Lisboa).
· Yasmin
Chef Gualberto Casaca da Silva offers a rapidly changing menu, a sophisticated fusion of traditional Portuguese ingredients with Mediterranean and Asian influences. You’ll appreciate the sleek, sexy design of this laid back restaurant. Note the polished concrete floor and the dining room’s Saarinen tulip chairs! Dj’s provide a sound treat of chillout and jazz for the diners. You’ll find Yasmin at: Rua da Moeda 1a, Lisbon, 1200.
· ExperimentaDesign Biennale
This noteworthy cultural biennal, dedicated to design, architecture, and contemporary creativity, takes place in Lisbon (odd years) and Amsterdam. The Bienalle focuses on design in its broadest sense, especially project motivation methodology and the final product. Original project concepts are showcased through exhibitions, workshops, conferences, screenings, debates, and urban interventions. A number of venues throughout the city host the Biennal during autumn.
· Museu do Design (MuDe)
Lisbon’s design museum, one of the world’s finest, has reopened in new premises in an old bank building with warehouse aesthetics. MuDe holds a design collection consisting of 1,000 design objects by 230 designers from all over the world including Phillipe Starck, Charles Eames, George Nelson, Arne Jacobsen, Paul Henningsen, Vener Panton, Masanori Umeda, Henning Koppel, and Tom Dixon. You’ll enjoy innovative furnishings, glass, and jewelry from 1937 to the present!
There are also more than 1200 fashion pieces on display by icons like Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood, and Yves Saint Laurent. Portuguese businessman Francisco Capelo’s fashion collection (including Christian Dior’s 1947 New Look and a Jean Dresses gown worn by Renee Zellweger to the 2001 Oscars), are also on exhibit. The comprehensive catalog describes wonders yet to come! Find MuDe in downtown Lisbon at Rua Augusta, 24.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articlecamp.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
