Note: access to the Performance for Cristal Baschet is free, upon registration through this FORM.
Lisboa Soa presents an unprecedented occupation of the Panopticon at the Miguel Bombarda Hospital with a collective exhibition of sound art. This late 19th-century circular pavilion, designed for surveillance and silence, is transformed into a “pan-acoustic” space where sound replaces vision as the medium of connection. Different cells will host sound installations that converse with the austere architecture and with one another, weaving a new collective soundscape. At the center—once the watchman’s position—the vibrations from the cells radiate outward, linking inside and outside in a shared space of listening.
Every atom of our body contains intrinsic energy and is in constant vibratory motion. We live, in fact, in a vast ocean of energy: everything in the universe, from subatomic particles to galaxies, oscillates and emits frequencies. The exhibition invites reflection on the energy that permeates and connects all things—cities, landscapes, bodies, communities. Not only physical and natural energy—wind, water, sound—but also its symbolic, social, and vital dimensions: forces that traverse, sustain, and transform collective life. The aim is not to illustrate scientific concepts, but to create sensory and poetic devices that immerse the audience in the awareness that, ultimately, sound is the energy that connects us to the present moment and to the world around us.
As visitors move through the Panopticon, they are invited to navigate between the tangible and the invisible, to recognize that everything in the universe vibrates, and to experience these frequencies within an atmosphere of attentiveness and deep listening. The disciplinary silence of the past gives way to flow, dialogue, and resonance—binding us to the city, the landscape, and the human essence.
Works by:
Inês Mendes Leal
Inês Tartaruga Água e Xavier Paes
Tomás Quintais
Vittoria Assembri
Yasuhiro Morinaga e Robert Millis
