Portugal at the London Design Biennale with films about Madeira and Alentejo

The exhibition 'Metabolisms of Repair' is made up of works by artists Miguel Teodoro and the collective A Recolectora, made up of Alexandre Delmar and Maria Ruivo, which propose a reflection on the future of the planet.

Miguel Teodoro's film 'Chemical Affinities' explores the impact of ammonia-based fertilizers in the Alentejo region throughout history, and the use of the same chemical in photography processing.

In a mix of documentary and fiction, 'Two Shades of Grey', by the collective A Recoletora, addresses aspects of the pastoral tradition in Madeira, such as communication.

The curator, Mónica Garcia, told Lusa news agency that the "dialogue" between the two works leaves an appeal: "It tries to call for a need for us to stop and notice the way we are consuming the resources of our territory".

In addition to a perception of "lost memory, and the attempt to recover and preserve it", he said, the exhibition encourages "a certain awareness of the way in which resources are being rapidly consumed, namely resources that have to do with agriculture, with water resources".

Despite presenting realities and problems of Madeira and Alentejo, the curator understands that the films "present layers of problems and possible solutions that can be very transversal to other parts of the planet, and particularly to other countries that are represented here".

Garcia hopes that the exhibition will contribute to "a much greater respect for the way in which the planet is being consumed."

Portugal is one of around 50 countries, cities, territories, institutions and individual artists participating in the 2025 edition of the London Design Biennale, which will be open until 29 June at the former palace of Somerset House.

The artistic director of this fifth edition, Samuel Ross, described the biennial's theme, 'Surface Reflections', as an invitation "to look introspectively at what everyone has to offer in terms of allegory, context and unique stories".

Ross today congratulated himself on the topic being "taken far beyond its scope by all the guardians and talents here, and it is an absolute joy to see their interpretation come to life."

Biennale director Victoria Broackes said the result "is a faithful reflection of the surfaces we work with and the deeper stories they contain, challenging us to look beyond aesthetics to meaning, materiality and message."

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