Lagares do Alvará
Virtual space | 2024
”Lagares do Alvará” is a virtual space inviting the audience to explore a world that documents and speculates on urban renewal projects that continue to transform the historic but forgotten neighbourhood of Mouraria.
The project tackles a rising trend of urban smoothness and aestheticization of public space to make cities more consumable and attractive for outside investment, by painting a partial picture of Mouraria as a flourishing, self-sufficient neighbourhood, no longer at the hands of tourism or municipal interventions.
The scenario is played out within the videogame Fortnite using re-appropriated game assets and 3D scans from real locations in Lisbon. The space and narrative is based on real events and conversations with residents, guiding the visitors through the speculative scenario and inviting them to explore a subjective mapping of the neighbourhood of Mouraria and the different power dynamics and controversies acting out in the area.
References and Inspiration
The space is based on real events of the ongoing urban renewal process happening in the neighborhood of Mouraria in Lisbon.
We would like to thank Davide Onestini e André Trindade from By The End of May for the invite to present this work at Gentler Futures Festival and a special thanks to Maria Mascaranhas for the local insight making the space much more situated and richer, including a recommendation to read the beautifully accounts of José Smith Vargas on his recent graphic novel Vale Dos Vencidos.
How to play
The map is freely available to experience. If you have Fortnite already installed on your computer, you can experience the map by using the code 4272-8111-9082 or clicking this link: https://www.fortnite.com/@what_a_mess/4272-8111-9082
If you don’t have Fortnite, you can run the game on almost any device with a stable internet connection via the browser. Follow the instructions on this website to set it up: https://www.fortnite.com/download
Supported by CBK Rotterdam (Centre for Visual Arts Rotterdam)