Terra Crua

At a time of mounting pressure on the planet’s limits, we look to raw earth not as a nostalgic return, but as a natural, local, and readily available resource. The exhibition moves from matter to action: from the physical and mineral complexity of soil to accumulated knowledge, and on to practices that reclaim earth as a viable, ethical, and poetic building material. Beginning with the ground beneath our feet, it invites visitors to rediscover raw earth as matter, archive, and agent within contemporary architecture in Portugal. Bringing together scientific and historical material, prototypes, and case studies, as well as collaborative experiments analysing and reusing excavated soil from construction sites across Lisbon, the exhibition reveals its performance and potential as a circular resource, while opening up new possibilities for its role in shaping the city.

Curator Madalena Vidigal

◾ Conversations around earth: Earth in urban contexts
Wednesday, 17 June, at 5:00pm at the Architecture Centre
What destiny do we assign to excavated earth in the Portuguese capital? Following on from the “Terras de Lisboa” project, this conversation establishes connections with international cooperative experiences focused on the valorisation of excavated earth, placing them in dialogue with the national context. Architects, builders, engineers, and policy-makers examine the logistical, bureaucratic, and cultural challenges that hinder circulation and access to this material, with the aim of exploring viable models for integrating local earth into the construction of the city itself.

Talk in Portuguese language, with free admission, subject to prior registration servico.educativo.museu@ccb.pt.

◾ From conversation to film
Saturday, 20 June, at 3:30pm
This double programme begins with a guided visit to the Terra Crua exhibition led by curator Madalena Vidigal and architects Nuno Vasconcelos (DOING) and Tânia Teixeira (CRU). This is followed, at 5:00 pm, by a film screening, also focused on the theme of the ground beneath our feet.
MAC/CCB auditorium

In Portuguese language, with free admission, subject to prior registration servico.educativo.museu@ccb.pt.

Visit to the exhibition

◾ Sunday, 19 July, at 11:00am
Free admission, subject to prior registration to the email address servico.educativo.museu@ccb.pt