Second edition of FesThink takes place in Lisbon

09 Apr - 10 Apr 2024

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Following a successful pilot edition in 2022 in the city of Almada, FesThink reaches its second edition, this time in Lisbon, and remains linked to the Festival of the New European Bauhaus, an initiative of the European Commission that calls for the imagination and collective construction of a sustainable future, inspired by art and culture.

In convergence with the core principle of the New European Bauhaus, FesThink seeks to consolidate its vocation: to disseminate critical thinking as political action, but also as a source of enjoyment, in a relationship with others based on ethical and affective meaning. Along these lines, the Festival convenes agents who move across the fields of Philosophy, Culture, Architecture, Urbanism and the Environment to debate central current issues. Organised by Kees Eijrond, a Dutch foundation with permanent representation in Portugal, the Festival relies on fundamental partnerships with IFILNOVA – the Institute of Philosophy of the NOVA University Lisbon and MIMA – International Museum of Women.

The two round tables scheduled for this edition reflect in some way the geo-social movements — a concept coined by the pioneer of ecological thought Bruno Latour (who passed away in 2022) — which understand the need to ensure social justice to maintain a habitable Earth. “Earth, that great power of beginnings”.

 

Ecology of Chaos and Infinite Rivers
9 April, 7 pm - Rua de Santa Catarina, 9
(subject to venue capacity)

In a scenario of crises and transition to a new era of reason, how should we understand the role of technology? At this round table, we invite the public to explore different perspectives on The Ecology of Chaos, rethinking and reimagining our relationship with technological acceleration and experimental forms of literature. We will seek to understand how two radically oral and visual novels, “Finnegans Wake” by James Joyce, and “Grande Sertão: Veredas” (The Devil to Pay in the Backlands) by João Guimarães Rosa, find resonance in the Ecology of Chaos. The river, present in these works, emerges as a metaphor for the tension between the finite and the infinite. From a reorientation guided by philosophy and art, perhaps we can understand the experience of feeling, thinking and being ecological. In partnership with IFILNOVA, the participants are:

Bartholomew Ryan, Irish, is a philosopher, musician and researcher. He is the coordinator of the 'Forms of Life and Practices of Philosophy' group at IFILNOVA at the NOVA University Lisbon. He has published several books and essays on the theme of the plurality of the subject and the relationship between philosophy and literature. His upcoming books are Fernando Pessoa: Critical Lives (Reaktion Books, 2024), and James Joyce: The Unfolding Art of Flourishing and Decay (Oxford University Press, 2025). He has taught at various universities around the world and has released six albums with The Loafing Heroes and a solo album called 'Jabuti' (2022) in the dream-folk genre.

Giovanbattista Tusa is an Italian philosopher integrated into the Nova Institute of Philosophy (IFILNOVA) at the NOVA University Lisbon. His publications include The End, co-authored with Alain Badiou (Polity Press, Cambridge 2019), and the books Fernando Pessoa and Philosophy. Countless Lives Inhabit Us (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021), PPPP. Pier Paolo Pasolini Philosopher (Mimesis International, 2022), Dispositif. A Cartography (MIT Press, 2023), and Contemporanea. A Glossary for the 21st Century (MIT Press, 2024). He is director of the series The Futures. Of Philosophy at Planetary Conversations, in collaboration with ‘The Philosophical Salon’.

Margarida Mendes is a researcher, curator and educator. Her practice explores ecological mediation, with a focus on the intersection of visual arts, experimental film, eco-pedagogy, sonic practices and environmental humanities. She creates transdisciplinary forums, exhibitions and experimental works in which alternative modes of education and listening practices can catalyse political imagination and restorative actions. She has a long-standing involvement with anti-extractivist activism and eco-pedagogy, collaborating with environmental organisations, universities and arts institutions. She was part of the curatorial team for the 11th Gwangju Biennale, the 4th Istanbul Design Biennial, the 11th Liverpool Biennale, and the 3rd Porto Design Biennale. She has directed various educational platforms, such as escuelita, an informal school at the Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo - CA2M, Madrid (2017); The Barber Shop, an art project space in Lisbon dedicated to transdisciplinary research (2009-16); and the curatorial research platform on ecology The World In Which We Occur/Matter in Flux (2014-18). Margarida holds a PhD from the Centre for Research Architecture, Goldsmiths University of London and is a member of the Natural Contract Lab, a transdisciplinary collective working on restorative justice and the rights of Nature in several European rivers.

 

A city for all: architecture as social invention
10 April, 7 pm - Teatro Turim: Estrada de Benfica, nº 723 A
(subject to venue capacity)

Equality, diversity, sustainability, inclusion, well-being and a strengthened sense of community. Is a place where all these propositions are guaranteed possible? What is the role of Architecture in its organisation? Between approaches regarding redemption, form and function, this round table seeks to understand the potential of Architecture as a humanist project. In partnership with MIMA - International Museum of Women, the participants are:

João Seixas is Pro-Rector of the NOVA University Lisbon and a professor at NOVA FCSH. He has extensive national and international experience in teaching, research and consulting on cities and metropolises, urban policies and regional development. He holds a PhD in Geography (Autonomous University of Barcelona) and a Master's in Urban and Regional Studies (London School of Economics). He was commissioner of the Strategic Charter of Lisbon, coordinator of the political-administrative reform of the Portuguese capital, and curator of the exhibition “Futuros de Lisboa” (Futures of Lisbon). He was a consultant for the European Commission's URBACT programme (from 2012 to 2017) and a consultant for the City of Lisbon's Culture Strategies (in 2009 and 2017). Author of several books on cities and urban development, namely: Lisboa em Metamorfose (2021), Projecções de Lisboa – Utopias e estratégias para uma cidade em movimento perpétuo (2018), Em todas as Ruas (2015), A Cidade na Encruzilhada (2013), and Urban Governance in Southern Europe (2012).

Maria João Teles Grilo was born in Angola in 1960. She is a member of the International Union of Architects (UIA), the African Union of Architects (AUA), the Angolan Order of Architects (OAA), the Portuguese Order of Architects (OA) and the International Council of Portuguese-Speaking Architects (CIALP). In 2004, she founded the atelier Metapolis - Planning, Architecture and Consulting, where she is currently an architect-director, with work in Angola and Portugal.