Yesterday we visited MAAT - Museum Art Architecture Technology, in Lisbon. It exists of two buildings, which you buy separate tickets for. One building is the old and very beautiful Tejo Power Station, which houses and exhibits the old types of machinery of that Power Station. The second building is very new and very modern, and houses a lot of video installations. Both buildings offer exhibitions that critique the society we live in now, and its contents were some of the best I’ve seen: from our self-obsessed social media society to slavery, racism and emancipation - if you believe the world could become a better place than it is now, you will have a great day at MAAT!
Although I loved both buildings, I want to focus on the second and newly opened building, since it really left an impression. Once you arrive from the old building alongside the waterfront to the new, there’s this special moment when you realize: this architecture ‘frames’ the lovely red (Golden Gate like) bridge that crosses the impressive Tagus river that defines Lisbon as a city.
[First picture I took of 'the frame']
[Once I climbed some steps I was more 'inside' the architecture and found a different 'frame' of the bridge]
When entering the building, you will arrive in a giant elliptical shaped space which is filled with meters long screens, all portraying a different aspect of the Ponte 25 de Abril. From the traffic that constantly crosses the bridge, to the reflection of the bridge in the water… And let’s not forget there’s sounds of the traffic, the ‘howling’ of the wind through the bridge itself, the water under the bridge constantly circling the space, sometimes in front of you, sometimes right above your head.
It’s a nice play with your senses.
I’ve walked and enjoyed this museum with great pleasure, and when I checked the time which I believed was 17:30, it was actually 19:00 already - so time is lost easily here :-) I didn’t even have enough time to view all of the video art! The contents were often really thought-provoking, so I would have needed a second visit anyway to be able to really listen and view it all.
For now: some more pictures! Don’t ever come to Lisbon without visiting MAAT. You will really miss out on both amazing architecture and some very well made exhibitions.
[I love how architecture can define a space. I suspect this might have been exactly what the architect hoped for: people enjoying the space and use it as a spot from where to enjoy the river and views upon the bridge.]
[As said, after visiting the museum it was suddenly 19:00 - so it was dark outside. Nice change for a different picture of the museum.]
[You can climb the roof of the new building and from there you'll be able to see the old Tejo Power Station / the 'old building'.]
All pictures on steemit.com/@soyrosa are created and edited by me, Rosanne Dubbeld, 2005-2018. Contact me if you want to discuss licensing or collaborations on creative projects :-)
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